Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met US Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks to discuss ways of strengthening the US-India defence ties through industrial and operational cooperation, and technology innovation.
Today I met with Indian Foreign Secretary Misri to discuss the significant momentum in the U.S.-India defense relationship and our increased cooperation to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/lXJ7HuxGCe
— Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks (@DepSecDef) September 25, 2024
Hicks said both countries continue to break new ground in defence cooperation which will boost the security of the two countries, and the Indo-Pacific region in general.
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Misri and Hicks discussed issues regarding regional security and the various operational cooperation initiatives that are aimed at enhancing stability and security in the region.
The two also talked about the ongoing efforts to co-produce jet engines, land mobility systems, and munitions, as well as the continued progress through the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) to foster joint innovation among defense industry stakeholders in both countries, a DoD readout stated.
During the meeting, Hicks pointed out how the recent INDUS-X Summit resulted in a new joint innovation challenge for space domain technologies and highlighted the MoU signed between the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian defense ministry's Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) office.
"Deputy Secretary Hicks expressed the importance of continuing to advance progress across all areas of the Major Defense Partnership, and pledged to deepen cooperation to promote a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific," Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said in the readout.
