US: Lloyd Austin lauds “robust contributions” of Indian Navy in upholding freedom of navigation, regional security

Washington DC [US], August 24 (ANI): US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin lauded the Indian Navy during his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for its “robust contributions” in upholding freedom of navigation and regional security.

Welcoming Rajnath Singh to the Pentagon on Friday, Lloyd Austin discussed ongoing efforts to deepen the Major Defence Partnership between the United States and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the US Department of Defence said in a statement.

Secretary Austin and Minister Singh celebrated progress across several bilateral defence initiatives, including efforts to increase supply chain security, enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, and leverage a new agreement to strengthen operational coordination through Indian liaison officers at U.S. commands.

They agreed to advance priority co-production projects, including jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions, and ground mobility systems, under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

They further held advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains and welcomed ongoing implementation of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which will convene its third summit in Silicon Valley this September.

Lloyd Austin and Rajnath Singh applauded the conclusion of a Security of Supply Arrangement, which will further integrate the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries while strengthening supply chain resilience.

Secretary Austin lauded the Indian Navy’s robust contributions to upholding freedom of navigation and regional security through its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces and welcomed India assuming a leadership role in Combined Task Force 150 in 2025, the statement read.

Secretary Austin and Minister Singh reviewed mutual efforts through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative to provide Indian Ocean Region partners with unclassified, commercial satellite data to enhance their maritime security and ability to detect illicit activity.

Both officials looked forward to the opportunity to meet again at the next 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, the statement added.

The Defence Minister is on a four-day visit to the US.

Taking to social media platform X, Rajnath Singh 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.