US, India to deepen defense cooperation and military ties

Asia-Pacific, News, US September 27, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says that the defense cooperation and military ties between India and the United States are growing stronger.

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin met with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subramanyam Jaishankar at the Pentagon on September 26 to discuss new opportunities for bilateral defense industrial cooperation in support of New Delhi’s contributions as a regional security provider. The Indian foreign minister is on a four-day official trip to Washington.

The meetings reinforced “a growing depth, breadth and ambition“ of the U.S.-India partnership which is moving from strength to strength.

Information sharing and defense industrial ties

Secretary Austin and Minister Jaishankar committed to expanding information-sharing and logistics cooperation to drive deeper operational coordination between the two militaries.

“We’re taking significant steps to deepen our defense cooperation from stronger information sharing and defense industrial ties to cooperation in emerging defense domains, including through the launch of a new dialogue later this year,” Austin said. He added that “we are positioning the U.S. and Indian militaries to operate and coordinate more closely together than ever.”

They also discussed new possibilities for bilateral defense industrial cooperation including the launch of a new defense dialogue later this year as the United States and India aim to work closely together across cyber, space, artificial intelligence, and other technology areas.

^{U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar engage in a bilateral exchange at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., September 26, 2022. (Image Credit: DOD)}

Focus on Indo-Pacific

Secretary Austin and Minister Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to working together as steadfast partners to advance the United States and India’s shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

“The United States and India, along with a dozen other Indo-Pacific partners, are pushing to expand our region’s prosperity through the Indo-Pacific Economic Dialogue,” Austin said. “And through our deepening cooperation with Japan and Australia, we are delivering on the issues that matter most to the region: infrastructure development and maritime security.”

Regional security is significantly important for the U.S. and its regional partners due to increasing tensions with China, especially regarding Taiwan. Austin noted that “In recent months, we have seen the PRC intensify its efforts to challenge the rules-based international order. ”

In recent years, the Indian military is becoming more interoperable with its U.S. partners as India has purchased Apache and Seahawk helicopters and has expressed interest in other U.S. defense capabilities, according to the Department of Defense (DoD) statement.

Indian military personnel regularly exercise together with the U.S. service members, and the two governments regularly share information and intelligence, especially in the wake of the bilateral geospatial agreement signed in 2020.

Pleasure to meet @SecDef once again.

Defence and Security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership. We noted the steady progress in policy exchange, interoperability, defense trade, service exercises and military-industrial cooperation. pic.twitter.com/9AkvTkALGk
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 26, 2022