Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Visits Naval Surface Warfare Centre in the US
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Carderock on Saturday. He observed the experiments and facilities available at the centre. Singh shared his experience on X, stating, “Visited Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Carderock and witnessed the pathbreaking experiments at the facility. India and the US look forward to working together and benefit from each other’s experiences.”
During his four-day official visit to the US, Singh interacted with senior leaders of US defence companies at an industry roundtable organized by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. He discussed emerging co-development and co-production opportunities in India’s defence sector. An official release noted that India’s progressive reforms have encouraged many foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers, including those from the US, to set up manufacturing units in India, develop Joint Ventures, and make India their alternate export base.
The planned co-production of GE 414 aero-engines in India is expected to be a significant milestone in India-US bilateral relations. Singh emphasized that ‘partnership’ and ‘joint efforts’ are key to India’s defence industry partnerships. The event was attended by representatives from US defence and technology companies such as Boeing, GE, General Atomics, General Dynamics Land Systems, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Rolls Royce, and ThayerMahan. Indian companies like ideaForge, Tata Sons, and Tsecond, along with senior leaders from The Cohen Group, also participated.
During the interaction, business leaders outlined their ongoing projects and future plans for India, providing valuable feedback. Singh emphasized that India welcomes US investment and technology collaboration, offering a skilled human resource base, a pro-FDI and pro-business ecosystem, and a large domestic market.
Singh also met US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, on Friday. They expressed happiness over the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA), which encourages collaboration between the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries and enhances supply chain resilience. They held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security, and other international issues.
Rajnath Singh’s official visit to the US is from August 23 to 26.
Doubts Revealed
Defence Minister -: The Defence Minister is a person in the government who is responsible for the country’s military and defence matters. In India, this person is Rajnath Singh.
Naval Surface Warfare Centre -: The Naval Surface Warfare Centre is a place in the US where scientists and engineers work on new technologies for ships and other naval equipment.
Carderock -: Carderock is a location in the US where the Naval Surface Warfare Centre is situated. It’s a place where they do a lot of experiments and research for the navy.
US defence company leaders -: These are important people who work for companies in the US that make equipment and technology for the military.
co-development and co-production -: Co-development means working together to create something new. Co-production means making something together. In this case, it refers to India and the US working together on military technology.
GE 414 aero-engines -: GE 414 aero-engines are powerful engines used in fighter jets. GE stands for General Electric, a big company that makes these engines.
US Defence Secretary -: The US Defence Secretary is the person in charge of the military in the United States. Right now, this person is Lloyd Austin.
bilateral defence cooperation -: Bilateral defence cooperation means two countries working together to help each other with their military and defence.
regional security -: Regional security means making sure that a specific area or region is safe and protected from threats.