India and US Strengthen Defence Partnership
Sanjeev Kumar Highlights Key Developments
On October 14, Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary of Defence Production in India’s Ministry of Defence, praised the growing defence partnership between India and the United States. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) India Leadership Summit, Kumar emphasized that the defence ties between the two nations have become a pillar of global peace and security.
He highlighted the importance of joint exercises, defence industrial cooperation, and annual 2+2 ministerial dialogues. Kumar referred to India and the US as “formidable democratic forces” that can work together for global peace and stability. He recalled Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the US in August, where Singh described the two countries as “natural allies.”
Kumar noted significant progress in building an advanced defence partnership, including the launch of dialogues in new domains like space and AI. He mentioned India’s Strategic Trade Authorization (STA-1) status and designation as a major defence partner, along with the completion of agreements like COMCASA and the Industrial Security Annex.
The Security of Supplies Agreement (SOSA) was also discussed, which supports resilient supply chains between the two countries. Kumar emphasized the growing presence of US companies in India’s aerospace and defence sectors and the landmark MoU between General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for manufacturing jet engines in India.
He invited US defence companies to invest in India, highlighting the country’s investor-friendly climate and established defence corridors. The USISPF aims to strengthen the strategic partnership between the US and India.
Doubts Revealed
Sanjeev Kumar -: Sanjeev Kumar is an important person in the Indian government. He works in the Ministry of Defence, which is responsible for India’s military and defence matters.
US-India Strategic Partnership Forum -: The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is a group that helps India and the United States work together better. They focus on improving business and strategic ties between the two countries.
Defence Partnership -: A defence partnership is when two countries work together to make their military forces stronger. India and the US are working together to share technology and do military exercises.
Joint exercises -: Joint exercises are practice activities where the military forces of two countries work together. This helps them learn from each other and improve their skills.
Industrial cooperation -: Industrial cooperation means that companies from two countries work together to make things, like weapons or technology, for the military. This helps both countries improve their defence capabilities.
Space and AI -: Space refers to the area beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, which is when computers can do tasks that usually need human intelligence. India and the US are working together in these new areas for defence.
Strategic Trade Authorization -: Strategic Trade Authorization is a special status that allows India to get advanced technology from the US more easily. This helps India improve its defence technology.
COMCASA -: COMCASA stands for Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement. It’s an agreement between India and the US that allows them to share secure communication equipment and information.
US companies in India’s defence sector -: US companies are businesses from the United States that are working in India’s defence industry. They help make and sell military equipment in India.
Investment -: Investment means putting money into something to make it better or to earn more money later. India is inviting US companies to invest in its defence sector to make it stronger.
