The India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS X) to boost Indo-US defence industry collaboration was launched at an event in Washington DC, USA on 21 June 2023.
The INDUS X event was co-organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Ministry of Defence, and US Department of Defence (DoD) and hosted by US-India Business Council (USIBC).
Mr Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Promotion), Ministry of Defence, led the Indian delegation in the two-day INDUS-X event on 20-21 June 2023.
A reception for Indian and US Government representatives, defence start-ups, think tanks, incubators, investors, industries and other stakeholders was orgainsed on 20 June. Mr Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to India, gave the keynote address.
In his keynote address on Wednesday, Frank Kendall, US Secretary of the Air Force, said the India-US relationship was growing exponentially. He emphasised that there was enormous potential for start-ups of both nations to collaborate in deep-tech innovations, especially in Space and Artificial Intelligence (AI) domain.
Bajpai, in his welcome remarks on “Investing in the Future of US-Indian Defence relations”, hailed the launch of iCET as a landmark event in India-US relationship.
He said this was an opportune moment for this event, as the leaders of the two largest and oldest democracies of the world meet in Washington.
The joint secretary stressed on the co-development and co-production of advanced technologies by Indian and US start-ups. He asked the participants to develop mechanisms for future collaboration across industries, academia, and investors.
He gave an overview of the Make in India initiative, focussing on Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the philosophy of “Make in India, for the world.”
The event also saw a first-of-its-kind joint showcasing of innovative technologies by Indian and US start-ups. Fifteen Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups, from multiple domains of maritime, AI, autonomous systems, and space, showcased their technologies to Indian and US stakeholders.
The exhibition was visited by senior US officials, including Congressman Ro Khanna, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems (CITI) and as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans; and by Radha Iyengar Plumb, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, US DoD.
Two panel discussions and two roundtables were held, focussing on deepening collaborations across various domains, including government, academia, and industry especially start-ups. A discussion on export control regulations were also held.