India USA Discuss Information Sharing And Maritime Cooperation
New Delhi and Washington discussed information-sharing, maritime cooperation, logistics, and defence trade during the Defence Policy Group dialogue between India and USA.
The 16th Indo US Defence Policy Group (DPG) was co chaired by Dr Colin Kahl, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy on the US side and by Dr Ajay Kumar, defence Secretary on the Indian side. This was issued as a statement by American Department of Defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Anton T Semelroth.
The dialogue advanced an ambitious set of bilateral priorities – including information-sharing, maritime cooperation, logistics, and defence trade – reflective of the flourishing defence ties between the United States and India.
“I co-chaired the US-India Defence Policy Group yesterday with Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar. Our Major Defence Partnership continues making great strides. I look forward to celebrating our progress at the next 2+2 Ministerial,” tweeted Kahl who is like a deputy defence minister in the American ministry of defence. The Defence Secretary is the American Defence Minister and Deputy Defence Secretary is equivalent to our Minister of State for Defence.
US and Indian officials exchanged views on regional issues of shared interest, including in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region.
They also discussed opportunities for enhanced cooperation with like-minded partners to sustain a free and open Indo-Pacific, Semelroth said in the statement.
The leaders reinforced their commitment to deepening joint cooperation and interoperability between the US and Indian militaries to work more seamlessly together, including strengthening cooperation in new defence domains, such as space and cyber.
The dialogue laid the groundwork for an important 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year, as the US and India open a new chapter in the Major Defence Partnership, added the statement.
The third India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held in New Delhi in October last year.
The DPG is the apex official-level meeting mechanism between India’s Defence Ministry and the US Department of Defence. It reviews and guides all aspects of bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.
