The US and India want to work more closely together on defense issues. During a visit to New Delhi on Saturday, the new US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region was one of President Joe Biden’s priorities. Austin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, among others. Modi called the partnership between the two countries a “force of global good”.
With China growing stronger, the United States and India have been working more closely together on defense matters for a number of years. India’s relationship with its neighbor China is strained after a fatal incident on the common border in the Himalayas last summer. According to official reports, the two defense ministers also spoke about joint military exercises as well as areas such as logistics, artificial intelligence and cyber activities.
According to the US State Department, the US has sold armaments to India for more than $ 20 billion since 2008. India, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, actually has a tradition of non-alignment. Before visiting India, Austin had already been to Japan and South Korea.
