Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held a call today with India's Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh to discuss growing momentum in the Major Defense Partnership between the United States and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The two officials lauded progress on bilateral defense initiatives following the Fifth Annual U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023, including U.S. support for India's military modernization, initiatives to drive forward the U.S.-India Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, and India's support for the rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways.
The two officials also applauded recent announcements accompanying the second India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit in New Delhi in February 2024. The Secretary highlighted the cutting-edge defense innovation propelled by the partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Ministry of Defense's Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX).
Both officials expressed their hope that they would have an opportunity to meet again in person soon, and they reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening the Major Defense Partnership in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.
