India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on August 23, 2024, at the Pentagon, in Washington DC. During the bilateral meeting, they discussed critical issues including bilateral defense cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues.
At the meeting, Minister Singh emphasized opportunities for co-development and co-production in India as outlined in the 2023 India-US Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap. Both leaders also expressed satisfaction with the finalization of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between the two countries.
“The SOSA signed yesterday in Washington DC encourages the defense industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together and enhances the supply chain resilience,” said a statement from India’s Press Information Bureau on August 23rd. “They also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers. India shall be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.”
According to the statement, Minister Singh and Secretary Austin also acknowledged the progress in implementing the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative, and praised India’s ongoing work to boost the Domain Awareness in the Indian Ocean Region. They welcomed India’s engagement in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), expressing happiness that Indian Navy personnel will join the CMF’s Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025.
Additionally, they applauded the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for creating a Defense Innovation bridge between the two nations, fostering collaboration among start-ups, industry, academia, and governments to advance technology and improve defense capabilities. The upcoming INDUS-X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 is expected to feature significant announcements.
Before the meeting at the Pentagon, Minister Singh laid a wreath at the Arlington National Cemetery, and both defense leaders said they looked forward to the next India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
