US and India Meet at White House to Address Regional Security Issues

Introduction

Objectives for the bilateral defense cooperation between the US and India were discussed during a meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

The Negotiations Detials

Doval and Hicks spoke about enhancing policy and operational coordination in the Indo-Pacific area as well as expanding the defense industry partnership between the two countries, according to a news release from the US Department of Defense. Building partnerships and alliances is a top department priority and essential to carrying out the US National Defence Strategy, Hicks reaffirmed at the conference.

The US Department of Defense stated in a press release that Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks did meet with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Washington, D.C., today to speak about objectives for the strong bilateral collaboration between the United States and India, including enhancing policy and operational teamwork in the Indo-Pacific area and expanding defense industrial partnerships between the two nations.

I met with #India National Security Advisor #AjitDoval today to review goals for the US-India defense alliance, congratulate India for leadership in the Indo-Pacific area, and suggest ways to further defence close collaboration, Kathleen Hicks wrote.

According to a press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden announced the effort on Vital and Emerging Technologies during their conference in Tokyo in May 2022.

By creating technology value chains and encouraging the co-development and co-production of goods, iCET seeks to establish the two nations as reliable technology partners. Through a standing mechanism, it also intends to deal with regulatory limitations, export limits, and mobility impediments.

The US government has pledged help to lower export restrictions to India in just a few key areas, such as through initiatives to alter the law. At the launch, a focus was made on enhancing connections between startup ecosystems and creating creative bridges between both 2 nations through expos and hackathons in critical areas according to the press releases.

Suggestions

In the meantime, the Indian Embassy in the US tweeted: “Dr. Kathleen Hicks, the deputy defense secretary, contacted NSA Ajit Doval on the phone. They spoke on a variety of subjects, particularly regional security considerations, and US-India military cooperation.”

Hicks commended NSA Doval for India’s leadership in the Indo-Pacific at the meeting and they talked about ways to improve military cooperation between the United States and India to tackle the more competitive strategic climate in the area.

Conclusion

The External Affairs Ministry stated in the press statement that industry and academia joined the two sides in creating a quantum coordinating mechanism. In the area of semiconductors, the US fostered collaborative ventures and collaborations for sophisticated packaging and mature technological nodes, as well as the growth of an Indian fabrication ecosystem.

Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the ambassador of India to the United States, also held a reception for the NSA at India Place on January 31. Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, Jake Sullivan, Wendy Sherman, and other high-ranking members of the US government, as well as CEOs of top US universities and technologically advanced funds, attended the reception.