On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh about several recent security events that interested both parties, particularly those in East Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
ANI was informed by sources that the US side had initiated the phone contact. Following the “successful” India-US 2+2 Intersessional and Maritime Security Dialogues in New Delhi the previous week, there was a follow-up conversation.
According to a statement released by the US Department of Defense, the phone contact followed a “constructive set of meetings in New Delhi” last week for the 2+2 Intersessional and Maritime Security Dialogues.
Rajnath Singh expressed India’s concern over the US’s choice to provide Pakistan’s F-16 fleet with a support package.
In the meantime, the Secretary congratulated Rajnath Singh on the INS Vikrant’s commissioning in the statement, highlighting the event’s significance for India’s role as a provider of security in the Indo-Pacific.
As the US and Indian military operate and coordinate more closely, the two defence leaders are committed to enhancing information sharing and logistics collaboration.
To advance their bilateral cooperation in the fields of space, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other new defence sectors, they both decided to start a conversation later this year.
To help India become a regional security supplier and industry leader, Secretary Austin and Minister Singh emphasised their commitment to advancing defence technology and industrial cooperation.
To maintain regional peace, security, and prosperity, both leaders emphasised the importance of strengthening collaboration through the Quad partnership, notably through coordinated humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
The 2+2 Ministerial will take place in India at the beginning of next year, and the two leaders agreed to a comprehensive set of actions in that time as the US and India endeavour to quickly deepen and broaden their collaboration.
According to the statement, they ended the call by reiterating the importance of the US-India defence alliance to their shared goal of an open and free Indo-Pacific region.
