look news india
New Delhi, August 24 (HS). Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington DC on the second day of his US visit. They held extensive discussions on bilateral defense cooperation, industrial cooperation, regional security and other international issues. They also highlighted the India-US defense industrial cooperation road map.
The two ministers expressed happiness over the signing of the Security of Supply Agreement (SOSA) between India and the US. The SOSA agreement, signed in Washington DC on the first day of Rajnath Singh's visit, was said to encourage the defence industrial ecosystems of the two countries to work together. They also welcomed the signing of the MoU between India and the US regarding deployment of liaison officers. India will deploy the first liaison officer at Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida under this agreement.
The two ministers appreciated the progress made in implementing the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness. The US counterpart lauded India's efforts to enhance maritime domain awareness for Quad partners in the Indian Ocean region. He welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India will deploy Indian Navy personnel to the Combined Task Force 150 headquarters of the CMF in 2025.
US Defense Secretary Austin lauded the two countries for establishing strong networks between defence start-ups, industry, academia and governments, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and enhancing war-fighting capabilities of both sides. Before the meeting at the Pentagon, Rajnath Singh paid floral tribute at Arlington National Cemetery. The Defence Minister and the US Defense Secretary expressed hope to meet again at the next India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
