Austin's New Delhi visit will prominently focus on advancing India-US new defence innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives and continuing with the efforts to expand operational cooperation between the US and Indian militaries.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the margins of the 9th ASEAN defence ministers’ (ADMM) Plus meeting.
Lloyd Austin has ordered the Commander of US Transportation Command "to activate Stage I of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF).
Mr Austin is reported to have told the Defence minister that “as the two largest democracies in the world, human rights and values are important to us and we will lead with these values”.
On China, the Biden Administration has cast itself as the only power capable – and now willing – to take on Beijing’s alleged bullying in the region and its attempt to overturn the rules-based global order. The just-concluded and rather combustible US-China talks in Anchorage provided more evidence of Washington’s hardening stand.
“India is an increasingly important partner in today’s rapidly shifting international dynamics. And it’s clear that the importance of this (Indo-US) partnership, and its impact to the international rules based order will only grow in the years ahead,” visiting US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said at a joint press interaction with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after talks between the two leaders.
