India, US look forward to working together, benefiting from each other's experiences: Rajnath Singh

26 Aug 2024 Evaluate

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said India and the US look forward to working together and benefiting from each other's experiences. Singh is in the US on a four-day official visit to further boost the comprehensive global strategic partnership between the US and India. Singh met the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

Austin praised the momentum behind the US-India relationship. He noted the countries' increased cooperation on a range of defence issues, including efforts to strengthen critical supply chains and interoperability between their militaries. Austin said ‘We share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and our defence cooperation continues to grow stronger and stronger’. He added ‘We're expanding our defence industrial ties and working to co-produce more capabilities and strengthen supply chain resilience’. He said that the countries have increased operational cooperation across all domains and highlighted India's participation in this summer's Rim of the Pacific, a large-scale exercise led by the US Navy in Hawaii that brought together 29 partner nations.

He also said the Indian navy remains an important security provider in the Indian Ocean. He said ‘Indian sailors have helped mariners in distress and defended global commerce. So, we are committed to deepening naval cooperation, to doing more together with unmanned technology, and to strengthening undersea domain awareness’. Rajnath Singh said the growing cooperation covers ‘all areas of human endeavour.’ He noted the robust people-to-people ties, shared democratic values, and the convergence of interests between the US and India on a range of issues.