US Defence Secy India visit: An official statement released by the US Department of Defence stated that Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III will embark on a four-nation trip including India from next week. According to the statement, Austin's first stop is in Tokyo where he will meet with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukasu Hamada and other senior leaders and visit US troops stationed in Japan.
Following the historic US-Japan "2+2" Ministerial Summit earlier this year, Secretary Austin's visit comes as the two countries make significant progress in modernising Alliance capabilities, improving US force posture, and establishing connections with like-minded partners.
Secretary Austin to engage with top ASEAN leaders
Later, Secretary Austin will fly to Singapore where he will participate in the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). In order to advance US defence alliances throughout the region in support of our common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, grounded in ASEAN centrality, the Secretary will also engage with important leaders outside of the Dialogue.
Austin will meet Rajnath Singh during his India visit
After completing his trip to Singapore, Secretary Austin will visit India. At the third stop, New Delhi, he will meet with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders as the United States and India continue to modernize the US-India Major Defense Partnership.
According to officials, this visit provides an opportunity to accelerate new defence innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and drive ongoing efforts to expand operational cooperation between the U.S. and Indian militaries. Secretary Austin will conclude his trip in France to participate in events commemorating the 79th anniversary of D-Day and meet with French and United Kingdom defence leaders.
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India-US relations
It should be mentioned here that relations between India and the United States date back to India's independence movement and have continued well after independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Currently, India and the US enjoy close relations and have deepened collaboration on issues such as counterterrorism and countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The bilateral relations between the two countries have developed into a "global strategic partnership", based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues. Today, the India-US bilateral cooperation is broad-based and multi-sectoral, covering trade and investment, defence and security, education, science and technology, cyber security, high technology, civil nuclear energy, space technology and applications, clean energy, environment, agriculture and health.
(With inputs from agencies)
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