This week’s US-India 2+2 Ministerial Summit and the virtual meeting between US President Joseph Biden, Jr., and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were encouraging. The United States-India Relationship Council (USIRC) is pleased by the significant steps taken by both sides to further bilateral relations. This was evidenced by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for intelligence-sharing and the joint defense of satellite systems and other physical assets in space. USIRC hopes the Space Situational Awareness Agreement (SSAA) fosters additional US-India collaboration in the civilian and non-civilian space sectors.

 

The announcement of a US-India Defense Technology & Trade Initiative (DTTI) is also welcome. The arrangement aims for the joint development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or “drones” as well as counter-drone defense & surveillance systems. USIRC was elated by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s comments about a comprehensive global strategic partnership between the US & India covering the maritime, space, artificial intelligence, and cyber domains.

 

Lastly, the 2+2 Ministerial talks echoed USIRC’s concerns over tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The Chinese Communist Party is seeking to re-define other states’ sovereignty and is eroding the security of the region from its construction of dual-use infrastructure along India’s border to its unlawful claims in the South China Sea. Secretary Austin pledged that the US would uphold the region’s balance of power conducive to India’s sovereign interests.

 

For further inquiries, please contact us via e-mail at usindiarelationship@gmail.com or contact the Chairman of USIRC, Dr. Amit Desai, at (714) 308-3288. Please also visit our Twitter handle at @USIRCOnline and our website www.usindiarelationship.org.