Rajnath Singh, Lloyd Austin discuss defence cooperation; appreciate progress in Quad, INDUS-X

Washington DC [US], August 24 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday held wide-ranging discussions on the issues of bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, and regional security with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

The Defence Minister, who was on a four-day visit to the US, highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year, the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release.

The two leaders also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative and the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

They welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India will deploy Indian Navy personnel to CMF’s Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025.

The Defence Minister and Secretary Austin commended the efforts of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for establishing the Defence Innovation bridge between the two countries.

They appreciated INDUS-X establishing robust networks across start-ups, industry, academia, and governments, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and enhancing the warfighting capabilities of both sides. The upcoming INDUS X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 will witness announcements of several key initiatives, the Ministry of Defence stated.

Both Ministers expressed happiness over the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and the US.

“The SOSA signed on Thursday in Washington DC encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience. They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers. India shall be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US,” the Ministry added.

Taking to social media platform X, Rajnath Singh called it an “excellent meeting” and said the two sides reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities

“Excellent meeting with my dear friend Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. We reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to deepen them further. The signing of Security of Supply Arrangements and the agreement for positioning of Indian officers at key US commands are pathbreaking developments,” he stated.

The meeting at Pentagon was preceded by a solemn wreath laying ceremony by Rajnath Singh at the Arlington National Cemetery. Rajnath Singh and Secretary Austin looked forward to meeting again at the next India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.