Ajit Karn
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives in India for two days commencing on Sunday to discuss ways to expand bilateral strategic engagement ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the United States.
According to sources familiar with Austin’s visit, he and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will discuss a number of new defense cooperation initiatives that will be unveiled after Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with Vice President Joe Biden in Washington two weeks later.
General Electric’s proposal to share fighter aircraft engine technology with India and India’s plan to purchase 30 MQ-9B armed drones from US defense giant General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) are likely to be discussed in Monday’s Singh-Austin talks.
To power its fighter aircraft, India has sought to manufacture jet engines in India within the framework of technology transfer.
Singh and Austin are likely to discuss China’s aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific as well as along the Line of Actual Control, as well as methods to combat the threat of terrorism.
Separately, German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius will visit India for four days beginning on Monday.
The Pentagon said in a statement this week that Austin will further strengthen the US-India ‘Major Defence Partnership’ as the two countries enter a “new and exciting chapter” in their relationship.
The US Secretary of Defense will arrive in India on Sunday from Singapore for a two-day visit, according to the Indian defense ministry.
Austin will be making his second trip to India. His previous journey to India occurred in March of 2021.
The German Federal Minister of Defense will also visit New Delhi on June 6 for bilateral talks with Singh, according to the ministry.
During Singh’s meetings with Austin and Pistorius, a variety of bilateral defense cooperation issues, with an emphasis on industrial cooperation, are expected to be discussed, according to the report.
“US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius are visiting New Delhi for bilateral talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,” according to a statement from the ministry.
The meeting between the Defense Minister and the US Secretary of Defense will take place on June 5, while discussions with the German Federal Minister of Defence will occur on June 6.
In recent years, defence and strategic ties between India and the United States have strengthened.
Over the past few years, the two nations have signed significant defense and security pacts, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that authorizes their militaries to use each other’s bases for maintenance and resupply.
The parties also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018, which allows for interoperability between the two militaries and the transfer of cutting-edge technology from the United States to India.
India and the United States signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in October 2020 to strengthen bilateral defense ties.
The agreement stipulates the exchange of advanced military technology, logistics, and geospatial maps between the two nations.
The German defense minister will visit India for four days commencing on June 5. His origin will be Indonesia.
During an engagement to be hosted by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) in New Delhi, Pistorius will likely also meet with representatives of a few defense start-ups in addition to Singh.
Also read this:Rajnath Singh to hold bilateral talks with US, German counterparts in Delhi
According to the ministry, he is expected to visit the headquarters of the Western Naval Command and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai on June 7.
