US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in New Delhi on 4 June for a two-day visit aimed at improving US-India bilateral defence ties.
Austin met Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and held discussions on defence cooperation, convergence of strategic interests, and enhanced security cooperation.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/l9bdWIiaPd
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2023
The Meeting
The visit comes ahead of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington on 22 June. The two defence leaders met and highlighted their commitment to advancing a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“I’m returning to India to meet with key leaders for discussions about strengthening our Major Defense Partnership,” Lloyd tweeted upon his arrival.
Austin appreciated Singh for his leadership and said that the minister had “helped pave the way for deeper collaboration, joint exercises, and technology sharing between our two countries.”
The “India-US partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region. We look forward to closely work with the US across the domains for capacity building and further consolidating our strategic partnership,” Singh tweeted.
The US Defence Secretary also received the Tri-Services Guard of Honour in the presence of the Defence Minister at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi earlier today.
The two leaders reviewed the bilateral defence cooperation activities and agreed to maintain the momentum of engagement. They welcomed the recent inaugural dialogues focusing on Defence Artificial Intelligence and Defence Space.
Austin and Singh also discussed regional security issues and said that India and US have a shared interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Union Defence Minister @rajnathsingh & US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin hold talks in New Delhi
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 5, 2023
Both sides reviewed the robust defence cooperation activities; Focus on co-development of new technologies and co-production
Roadmap concluded for US-India Defence Industrial… pic.twitter.com/ke7lzrvQrd
US-India Relations
The US has invited PM Modi on an official state visit. Modi will also address US Congress at the invitation of Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Congress.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 3 June, Austin mentioned that US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) facilitates the development of key defence platforms. The Defence Secretary also highlighted the importance of the Quad (a group including the US, Australia, India, and Japan) in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the meeting in New Delhi, the two defence leaders also explored ways of building resilient supply chains and said that both sides will identify opportunities for co-development of new technologies. Additionally, they concluded a roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation, which shall guide the policy direction for the next few years.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has also planned to sign a deal allowing General Electric Co. to make jet engines for powering Indian military aircraft. In this way, Washington and New Delhi are working to strengthen military-to-military and technology ties.
With China’s growing belligerence in the region, the US is increasing its presence in the Indo-Pacific. To this end, good relations with India are being considered an imperative part of the US policy against China.