US Lloyd Austin Visit India: Eli Ratner, Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs in the US Department of Defense has told that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit I will visit India. He said that he would discuss bilateral defense cooperation in India. India and the US are now more politically connected than ever.
Eli Ratner said that it is clear from the top political leadership of the American system that America’s defense relationship with India was a top priority. He Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US. Expressed clear support for co-production and co-development of security systems to strengthen India’s indigenous capabilities.
4th US cabinet-level secretary visit
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took charge in January 2021. After this this will be his second visit. At the same time, it will be his seventh visit to the Indo-Pacific. For now, Lloyd Austin will travel to Tokyo and Singapore, where he will address the Shangrila Dialogue. After this he will come to Delhi on 4th June. The US Defense Secretary’s visit comes ahead of PM Modi’s US state visit.
During this visit, the issues of defense cooperation will be included prominently. Austin is the fourth US cabinet-level secretary to visit India this year. Earlier in the month of February and March, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo had visited India.
India will continue to be a major defense partnership
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading think tank in Washington DC, Ratner said the Austin visit will reflect the US’s build-up, deepening, It is necessary in view of modernization and moving forward in the future and it will remain a major defense partnership of India.
He mentioned the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICT) this January, of which security technology is a major factor. The recent visit of the Indian Defense Secretary for bilateral talks with top Pentagon officials, the upcoming visit to Austin and the visit of PM Modi will prove to be important.
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