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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday met with United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and reviewed current defence cooperation activities and explored strategies to enhance their collaboration further.
Sharing a post on X, Singh said, "Excellent meeting with my dear friend Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. We reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to deepen them further." The post further said, "The signing of Security of Supply Arrangements and the agreement for positioning of Indian officers at key US commands are pathbreaking developments." Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Austin III hosted an honour cordon, meeting and welcomed Rajnath Singh. Rajnath Singh arrived in the US capital on a four-day visit to the country on Thursday. On the first day of his visit, the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India entered into a bilateral, non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA). The SOSA was signed by Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Industrial Base Policy, on behalf of the United States, and Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisitions), on behalf of the IN MoD. Through this SOSA, the United States and India agree to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence. The Arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs. Meanwhile, while interacting with the Indian diaspora on Thursday (local time) the Raksha Mantri said that India and US, together, are a formidable force which can ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the world.The Raksha Mantri described India and US as natural allies, which are destined to be strong partners, and this collaboration is growing continuously. Rajnath Singh re-asserted the fact that under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India's stature has grown on the global stage. "Earlier, India's words at international fora were not heeded; but today, the whole world listens carefully," he said. (ANI)
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