Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reaches Washington as India and US deepen strategic partnership

Washington: Apna Punjab Media: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh reached Washington on a four-day visit to America on the invitation of US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin. During the visit, Defense Minister Singh will hold bilateral meetings with his American counterpart and will also meet US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. “The visit comes against the backdrop of growing momentum in India-US relations and defense engagement at multiple levels,” the Defense Ministry said ahead of Singh’s departure. The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. The Defense Minister will also chair a high-level roundtable on ongoing and future defense cooperation with the US defense industry. He is scheduled to interact with the Indian community on Thursday American time. India and the United States have appreciated the progress made in bilateral defense initiatives since the fifth annual India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023. Washington has sought India’s support for India’s military modernization, initiatives to advance the US-India Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean region, and rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways Additionally, the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) continues to facilitate joint defense technology innovation and co-production of advanced defense technologies between the industries of the two countries. Sullivan visited India in June this year as the two countries took further steps in strategic technology and defense cooperation during the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi and Washington have held regular discussions and high-level meetings on a range of strategic, regional and bilateral issues, including the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET). Both countries have acknowledged that ICET, to be launched by Prime Minister Modi and US President Joe Biden in January 2023, will play a decisive role in deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries.