Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III praised the momentum behind the U.S.-India relationship today as he met with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at the Pentagon.
Austin noted the countries’ increased cooperation on a range of defense issues, including efforts to strengthen critical supply chains and interoperability between their militaries.
“We share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our defense cooperation continues to grow stronger and stronger,” Austin said. “We’re expanding our defense industrial ties and working to coproduce more capabilities and strengthen supply chain resilience.”
He added that the countries have increased operational cooperation across all domains and highlighted India’s participation in this summer’s Rim of the Pacific, a large-scale exercise led by the U.S. Navy in Hawaii that brought together 29 partner nations.
“The Indian navy remains an important security provider in the Indian Ocean,” Austin said. “Indian sailors have helped mariners in distress and defended global commerce. So, we are committed to deepening naval cooperation, to doing more together with unmanned technology, and to strengthening undersea domain awareness.”
Singh said the growing cooperation covers “all areas of human endeavor.”
The defense minister noted the robust people-to-people ties, shared democratic values, and the convergence of interests between the U.S. and India on a range of issues.
Austin and Singh’s meeting came a day after the countries finalized an agreement aimed at mitigating unanticipated supply chain issues to meet national security needs.
Under the nonbinding “security of supply” arrangement, the United States and India have agreed to provide priority support for goods and services that promote national defense.
“This security of supply arrangement represents a pivotal moment in the U.S.-India major defense partner relationship and will be a key factor in strengthening the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative,” Vic Ramdass, principal secretary of defense of industrial base policy, said in a statement.
“I look forward to [the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment] hosting the next [U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative] meeting this fall to deepen cooperation between our respective defense industrial bases and pursue bilateral codevelopment, coproduction and cosustainment initiatives,” Ramdass said.