A joint statement of the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue stated that the US and India have reiterated their commitment to bolstering their deep-rooted defence partnership.
The commitment calls for a comprehensive strategy that includes in-depth discussions, progressively sophisticated military drills, and the quickening of cooperative projects started under the June 2023 Roadmap for India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation.
“They expressed satisfaction with the pace of cooperation in maritime domain awareness and looked forward to identifying pathways to promote stronger service-to-service ties and share technologies to address an array of maritime challenges, including in the undersea domain,” the statement continued.
As part of their yearly “2+2 Dialogue” centred on the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
Once on opposing sides of the Cold War, the United States and India are currently negotiating historic agreements, one of which calls for American engines to be supplied and manufactured for Indian fighter jets.
The agreement between General Electric’s (GE.N) aerospace division and India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HIAE.NS) is proceeding according to Indian Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.
“We are finalising the commercial arrangements and the necessary legal requirements are being put in place,” he told the media.
According to Aramane, India is awaiting the company’s receipt of clearance from the U.S. government before proceeding with a deal worth over $3 billion to purchase 31 armed drones from General Atomics.
Without providing further information, he continued, “Washington had offered several infantry combat vehicle systems, and New Delhi has expressed interest.”
As they looked to the future, the Ministers praised the strides made in the co-production and co-development of defence systems, highlighting their shared desire to work together to develop and produce ground mobility systems that would strengthen Indian capabilities and strengthen the defence sectors of the two nations.
They anticipate receiving more proposals to develop and produce systems in the priority areas outlined in the Roadmap from US and Indian companies.
The United States and India have reiterated their commitment to promoting investment in India’s expanding maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry, which includes mid-voyage repair of US naval vessels and maintenance of aircraft.
