Indian-US troops operating more closely than ever, reinforcing scale of ties: Lloyd Austin
Meeting the Pentagon Chief, India’s EAM Dr S Jaishankar discussed topics of mutual interest. Reveals the militaries of both the nations are positioned together.
India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met with the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Austin Lloyd on 26 September.
The meeting notably covered the topics of mutual interest between India and the United States as key points of discussion between India’s EAM and the US Defense Secretary were defence trade, policy exchange, interoperability, service exercises and military-industrial cooperation, as stated by Dr S Jaishankar.
“Defense and Security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership,” Tweeted Jaishankar following the meeting.
US Defense Secretary notes positioning Indian and US militaries
The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted the importance of US-India ties and stated that both countries are positioning their militaries to coordinate and operate more closely than ever.
“Today, we are positioning the US and Indian militaries to operate and coordinate more closely together than ever,” Austin revealed.
In a statement issued by the US Department of Defense, Lloyd said that “Ties between India and the United States – two of the world’s largest democracies — including military ties, are growing stronger.”
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Indian and US service members regularly exercise together, and the two governments regularly share information and intelligence, especially in the wake of the geospatial agreement signed between the two governments in 2020. India participates in the American international military education and training program,” the US DoD’s statement read further.
According to the US DoD’s statement, the military cooperation between India and the US is at an all-time high.
US Defense Secretary lauds the Indian military
US Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd further lauded the Indian military in his statement. He noted that the Indian military was becoming more inter-operable with its US counterparts. India had previously purchased Seahawk and Apache helicopters from the US.
Moreover, the armed forces of India and the United States have regularly participated in bilateral military exercises like Ex-Vajra Prahar and Ex-Yudh Abhyas.
“All this will help ensure that our militaries are ready for future challenges,” the secretary stated.
Highlighting that both the nations work in a bilateral fashion, Austin stated, “The United States and India, along with a dozen other Indo-Pacific partners, are pushing to expand our region’s prosperity through the Indo-Pacific Economic Dialogue.”
Meanwhile, Dr S Jaishankar further stated through a Tweet that he had “Exchanged perspectives on the Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific developments, maritime challenges and regional issues,” with the Pentagon Chief.
(With ANI inputs)
