New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on an official visit to US, in the last event, underlined India’s growth story in the last decade and described the Indian diaspora as a ‘living bridge’ between the two countries.
The Ministry of Defence in an official release said, “Interacting with the Indian diaspora from Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, and other nearby areas, the defence minister lauded the achievements of the community members and their contribution to society, science and the economy. He described them as a ‘living bridge’ between India and the US, fostering close relations and goodwill.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has concluded US visit, the Ministry of Defence said on August 26. Singh also acknowledged the efforts of the Indian community in establishing an exhibit of Mahatma Gandhi and placing two honorary ‘Gandhi Way’ street signals near the National Civil Rights Museum on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. “In this last event of his US visit, Rajnath Singh underlined India’s growth story in the last decade and the immense potential with a promising future,” the press release read.
According to the release, the Defence Minister visited the National Civil Rights Museum on August 25, the last day of his tour to the US. “The National Civil Rights Museum traces the history of the civil rights movement in the US from the 17th century to the present and is built around the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968,” the release added. The museum also has a bust of Mahatma Gandhi, acknowledging his inspiration for non-violent struggle.
During his meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, the two leaders expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA), which encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together and enhances the supply chain resilience. Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon, Washington, DC, on Friday, August 23. They held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues.
“Singh highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year,” the Ministry’s statement read.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin’s meeting at Pentagon, saw both India and United States (US) agreeing to advance priority co-production projects, such as that of GE F-414 which is supposed to power Tejas Mk-2 aircrafts, Stryker-armoured infantry combat vehicles, unmanned platforms, and munitions under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.
In a readout, the US Department of Defence (DoD) said, “They further advanced discussions to expand cooperation in the undersea and space domains and welcomed ongoing implementation of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which will convene its third summit in Silicon Valley this September.”
Earlier, the two countries had given a nod to a commercial agreement between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to manufacture GE F-414 turbofan jet engines in India. As per the negotiations going on, the GE wants to keep the IPR with themselves. Ahead of Singh’s visit, sources had said that he would take up delay of supply of GE F-404 engines to HAL which has to fit them in LCA Mk-1A for acquisition by the IAF and was also expected to finalise acquisition of 31 MQ-9Bs predator drones for armed forces. Stryker-armoured infantry combat vehicles will also be co-produced here in India for which the details have to be worked out.
According to MoD release, both expressed happiness on the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and US. The SOSA signed in Washington DC during Singh’s ongoing trip, encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience. They also welcomed the signing of the memorandum of agreement between India and US regarding the Deployment of Liaison Officers, said the Ministry. India will be accordingly deploying the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.
As per the US DoD, Secretary Austin lauded the Indian Navy’s robust contributions to upholding freedom of navigation and regional security through its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces and welcomed India assuming a leadership role in Combined Task Force 150 in 2025. The two reviewed mutual efforts through the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness Initiative to provide Indian Ocean Region partners with unclassified, commercial satellite data to enhance their maritime security and ability to detect illicit activity.
On August 23, Defence Minister Singh also met the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the White House in Washington DC to deliberate on the evolving geopolitical situation and certain key regional security issues. They also discussed the ongoing defence industrial collaboration projects between India and US, and potential areas where the industries of the two countries could work together.
During his US tour, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited the William B Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC) in the Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Memphis, Tennessee, as India also plans to set up a similar facility.
In a statement the Defence Ministry said, “The LCC is one of the world’s largest and most technically advanced water tunnel facility for testing submarines, torpedoes, naval surface ships and propellers. The Defence Minister was briefed at the facility, and he witnessed an actual tunnel experiment. The discussions also intend to support the ongoing proposal for establishment of similar facility for indigenous design and development in India.”
As China rapidly expands its maritime presence in the Indian Ocean and larger Indo-Pacific, undersea domain awareness has emerged as a key focus area for India and among the Quad after maritime domain awareness.
Interacting with the senior leaders of the US defence industry at a round-table organised by US India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington DC, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh “emphasised that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, and is ready with a skilled human resource base, robust pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and large domestic market,” said the MoD.
