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

Washington, Aug 22 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Washington Thursday evening on a four-day visit to the United States at the invitation of the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

During the visit, Defence Minister Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his US counterpart and also meet the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.”The visit comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels. The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the Ministry of Defence stated before Singh’s departure.The Defence Minister will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations.He is scheduled to interact with the Indian community later on Thursday, US time.India and the United States have hailed progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the fifth annual India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023.Washington has committed support for India’s military modernization, initiatives to drive forward the US-India Roadmap for Defence 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.At the same time, the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) continues to facilitate joint defence technology innovation and co-production of advanced defence technology between the windustries of the two countries.Sullivan visited India in June this year as both countries took next steps in strategic technology and defence cooperation during the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.New Delhi and Washington have had regular discussions and high-level visits on a range of strategic, regional, and bilateral issues, including the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).Both countries have acknowledged that the iCET, launched by PM Modi and US President Joe Biden in January 2023, will play a defining role in deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries.–IANSas/