Austin Lauds U.S.-India Ties in Meeting With Counterpart

Secretary of Protection Lloyd J. Austin III praised the momentum behind the U.S.-India relationship right now as he met with Indian Protection Minister Rajnath Singh on the Pentagon. 

Austin famous the nations’ elevated cooperation on a variety of protection points, together with efforts to strengthen important provide chains and interoperability between their militaries.  

“We share a imaginative and prescient of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our protection cooperation continues to develop stronger and stronger,” Austin mentioned. “We’re increasing our protection industrial ties and dealing to coproduce extra capabilities and strengthen provide chain resilience.” 

He added that the nations have elevated operational cooperation throughout all domains and highlighted India’s participation on this summer time’s Rim of the Pacific, a large-scale train led by the U.S. Navy in Hawaii that introduced collectively 29 accomplice nations.  

“The Indian navy stays an vital safety supplier within the Indian Ocean,” Austin mentioned. “Indian sailors have helped mariners in misery and defended international commerce. So, we’re dedicated to deepening naval cooperation, to doing extra along with unmanned know-how, and to strengthening undersea area consciousness.” 

Singh mentioned the rising cooperation covers “all areas of human endeavor.”  

The protection minister famous the strong people-to-people ties, shared democratic values, and the convergence of pursuits between the U.S. and India on a variety of points. 

Austin and Singh’s assembly got here a day after the nations finalized an settlement aimed toward mitigating unanticipated provide chain points to satisfy nationwide safety wants.  

Underneath the nonbinding “safety of provide” association, the USA and India have agreed to supply precedence assist for items and companies that promote nationwide protection. 

“This safety of provide association represents a pivotal second within the U.S.-India main protection accomplice relationship and will likely be a key consider strengthening the U.S.-India Protection Know-how and Commerce Initiative,” Vic Ramdass, principal secretary of protection of commercial base coverage, mentioned in a press release. 

“I stay up for [the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment] internet hosting the subsequent [U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative] assembly this fall to deepen cooperation between our respective protection industrial bases and pursue bilateral codevelopment, coproduction and cosustainment initiatives,” Ramdass mentioned.