Statement comes as India and US pledge to review regulatory hurdles impeding closer industry-to-industry cooperation…reports Asian Lite News
US-India Business Council (USIBC) has lauded the outcome of talks between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and said the US leader’s visit reflects the accelerating convergence between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.
In a statement, USIBC President Atul Keshap said the two sides had concluded a roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation. “USIBC applauds both governments for establishing a new roadmap for US-India defense industrial cooperation. Our USIBC members include the top defence firms in the world, producing sophisticated defence platforms that can enhance Indian and American capabilities in border security, maritime domain awareness, space situational awareness, and more. Such strength helps ensure effective deterrence in an unsettled geostrategic environment,” Keshap said.
“Secretary Austin’s visit reflects the accelerating convergence between the world’s oldest and largest democracies. We are confident that continued progress on tech release under iCET and the startup linkages created by the INDUS X defense innovation bridge will empower industry to further facilitate India’s role as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added.
He said the discussions between the two sides reinforced the increasing importance the US government is placing on India as a major commercial and defence partner and talks continued on tech releasability issues between the two sides.
He said that the USIBC welcomes the Security of Supply Chain Agreement and a reciprocal defence procurement agreement and stressed that these were major calls from industry during the initial public-private consultations under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) launched at the US Chamber of Commerce in January.
“These are vital steps in the development of our high-trust ecosystem that will enable the private sector to be even more ambitious,” he said.
Keshap said USIBC will host the inaugural Indus X conference on June 20, 21 in Washington.
“This conference can foster a richer culture of co-development and co-production between our two nations, accelerating the exchange of technology, knowledge, and trust between our two great and powerful democracies,” he said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin concluded his India visit on Monday with both countries taking new steps to strengthen their defence partnership.
During his meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the US Secretary exchanged perspectives on a range of regional security issues.
The two countries decided to launch negotiations for two crucial agreements related to the Security of Supply Arrangement and a Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to establish stable supply chains of arms and equipment.
According to Pentagon, Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh also pledged to review regulatory hurdles impeding closer industry-to-industry cooperation and to initiate negotiations on these agreements.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin concluded his India visit on Monday with both countries taking new steps to strengthen their defence partnership.
The importance of defence innovation remained one of many keynote points of discussions during Austin’s visit here, the US Department of Defence said. During his meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the US Secretary and his counterparts exchanged perspectives on a range of regional security issues and committed to collaborating closely with India in support of the US shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
During the meeting between Austin and Singh, the two countries decided to launch negotiations for two crucial agreements related to the Security of Supply Arrangement and a Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to establish stable supply chains of arms and equipment.
The Secretary and Minister Singh also pledged to review regulatory hurdles impeding closer industry-to-industry cooperation and to initiate negotiations on these agreements, the Pentagon said.
Austin was on a two-day visit to India arrived in New Delhi from an official visit to Singapore.
During bilateral talks between Austin and Singh, both countries were able to conclude a new roadmap for US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation, which “shall guide the policy direction for the next few years,” according to a statement by the Indian Defence Ministry statement.
The roadmap will fast-track technology cooperation and co-production in areas such as air combat and land mobility systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; munitions; and the undersea domain.
“This initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between US and Indian defence sectors, including a set of specific proposals that could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support India’s defence modernization plans,” the Department of Defence readout said.
Austin arrived in India on Sunday to reinforce the major defence partnership and advance cooperation in critical domains between India and the US ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s official state visit to Washington later this month.
The Secretary and his counterparts also discussed the growing importance of defence innovation and cooperation in emerging domains such as space, cyberspace, and artificial intelligence. (ANI)