US-India Strength and Synergy at a Time of Geopolitical Strife – Defence News

By Dr Mukesh Aghi

The fifth edition of the U.S.-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue concluded with a resounding message. The relationship between Washington and New Delhi is one based on deep synergy in strengthening ties in new domains of critical and emerging technology, building on commercial ties, deeper trade engagement, stronger space collaboration, identifying healthcare challenges, fortifying our defenses to ensure the priorities of securing a free and open Indo-Pacific and more importantly a united partnership between two of the largest democracies at a time of geopolitical uncertainties and volatile conflict zones.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin together with their counterparts, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressed the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The United States and India unequivocally condemned any and all forms of terrorism or violent extremism by state and non-state actors. Both Secretaries and Ministers united in expressing sympathy for Israel for the heinous attacks of October 7, 2023. As two democracies, both India and the United States have suffered deeply from terror attacks, most notably 9/11 in 2001 and the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008. However, the leaders reiterated a clarion call to peace, a diplomatic solution, and an urgency to address the humanitarian emergencies unfolding in Gaza and to adhere to international humanitarian law, including concerning the protection of civilians. A call for the release of all hostages and working together with partners in the Middle East to bring back stability and security. The situation in Israel will in the short run affect immediate engagement on I2U2 and the India-Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC). While the Middle East continues to remain a volatile situation, the long-term focus for both Washington and New Delhi remains the Indo-Pacific theatre.

With India to host the next Quad Leader’s visit in 2024, the 2+2 dialogue served as an important platform to underscore the importance of working with Quad partners in Australia and Japan, and other ASEAN nations and like-minded principled partners in securing a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The Quad remains an essential framework to build on economic integration, ensure regional stability, and serve as bulwark against hegemonic forces.

2023, marked a monumental success in the history of U.S.-India relations with the historic state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and President Joe Biden in September 2023 to India for the G20 Summit. The Summit saw world leaders make a call for peace and diplomacy at a time of geopolitical differences. Both visits emphasized the importance of the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in upholding international peace and security,much needed with twin wars in West Asia and Eastern Europe.

The diplomatic momentum gained during the visits of Prime Minister Modi and President Biden is beyond symbolic visits to a concrete strategic roadmap for future collaboration in multifaceted areas such as space, semiconductors, quantum computing, drone technology,and artificial intelligence with accelerated joint projects such as manufacturing GE F-414 jet engines in India, putting India in the elite club of countries with such manufacturing capability.

Both Washington and New Delhi are working towards the co-production and co-development of defense systems with increased multifaceted defense partnership.Robust military exercises to enhance maritime domain awareness, with a focus on undersea technology,and India’s role as a hub in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector for U.S. naval vessels.

Prime Minister Modi’s priority of a self-reliant India and Make in India is a catalyst for India’s indigenous defense industrial complex, accentuated at a time of building new supply chains.

The U.S.-India defense pillar is further codified with the recent U.S.-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) launched during the week of the State Visit in June 2023.  USISPF in partnership with the Department of Defense, the Ministry of Defence, and IndUS Tech convened the INDUS-X Investors Strategy Session in New Delhi on November 8, 2023. The goal was to connect investors and startups in the defense and space sector and shine a light on the burgeoning defense ecosystem in the country.

The launch of the INDUS-X Gurukul Education series enables startups to leverage deeper engagement with the ecosystem in the U.S. and India. This builds on the initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) launched at the start of the year, and along with Quad Summit, there is eager anticipation for the second edition of iCET in early 2024. The success of India’s moon mission in Chandrayaan-3 has enhanced the scope for the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group led by NASA and ISROwith a look towards broader scopes such as ‘Planetary Defense.

Minister Goyal’s visit to the United States for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) ministerial meeting, is a reminder of the progress that the U.S. and India have made on trade dialogue through the Trade Policy Forum (TPF). It is paramount to increase U.S.-India trade from the $200 billion it presently serves. The State Visit and TPF dialogues have shown both Washington and New Delhi can work to resolve outstanding issues and forge ahead in other areas of priority despite the pending checklist of items on the trade front.

While the 2+2 dialogue is about the meetings between the Ministers and Secretaries, the bedrock of this relationship lies in the people-to-people ties. The strength of the diaspora in the United States, the U.S. embassy and consulates’ effort in India to expedite visa processing times and joint education partnership through the Quad Fellowship and recent Diwali celebrations at the highest levels of U.S. governments points to the resilience and vibrancy of this strategic partnership.

The multifaceted nature of the Strategic Partnership ensures that the relationship is beyond Washington and New Delhi, beyond the President and Prime Minister, Secretaries, and Ministers, and not confined to just diplomacy but a deep trust. It’s this trust and synergy that will help forge the tangible aspects of the relationship in areas of defense, trade, technology, and other commercial aspects to address the complex challenges of the 21st century.

The author is President and CEO of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproducing this content without permission is prohibited.