India and the US discussed boosting their strategic security ties in a telephone discussion between their Defence Ministers on Monday. Meanwhile, the two nations have embarked on a two-week ‘Tiger Triumph’ tri-service exercise involving warships, aircraft, helicopters, and troops in the Bay of Bengal. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart Lloyd Austin discussed various bilateral, regional security, and defence cooperation issues, emphasising their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“They reviewed recent bilateral events, such as the INDUS-X Summit held in New Delhi in February 2024 and the bilateral Tri-Service exercise ‘Tiger Triumph’, which also commenced in India on 18 March,” the Defence Ministry said.
“The US Secretary of Defence appreciated the important role the Indian Navy is playing in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region. The two Ministers discussed ways and means to implement the India-US Defence Cooperation Roadmap which was concluded last year. Other defence industrial cooperation issues, such as the repair of US naval ships in Indian shipyards, were also briefly discussed,” it further added.
Both the Ministers had last met in New Delhi in November 2023 during the India-US Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue.
“The two officials lauded progress on bilateral defence initiatives following the Fifth Annual U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023, including US support for India’s military modernisation, initiatives to drive forward the US-India Roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation, strengthening maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region, and India’s support for the rule of law in the Arabian Sea and adjacent waterways,” stated Pentagon press release.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US last June, both nations finalised a roadmap to accelerate technology collaboration and co-production. Priority areas include air combat and support (including aero-engines), ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) systems, ground mobility systems, undersea domain awareness, and smart munitions, including long-range artillery ammunition. Commercial negotiations for the co-production of GE-F414 jet engines for Tejas Mark-II fighters in India are nearing completion.
“The two officials also applauded recent announcements accompanying the second India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit in New Delhi in February 2024. The Secretary highlighted the cutting-edge defence innovation propelled by the partnership between the US Department of Defence’s Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Ministry of Defense’s Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX),” the Pentagon added.
Exercise Tiger Triumph 24
During the ongoing Tiger Triumph exercise, slated to run until 31 March, the US has dispatched its naval vessels, such as the USS Somerset, carrying troops from the Marine Corps and Army. Conversely, India has deployed warships equipped with integral helicopters and landing crafts, along with aircraft and helicopters from the Indian Air Force and Navy, alongside Army troops. According to the Indian Navy statement, these military manoeuvres aim to enhance military interoperability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
Ravi Shankar
