INDUS-X will empower industry to further facilitate India’s role as net security provider in Indo-Pacific region: USIBC

Washington:The just-announced enhanced strategic and defence partnership between India and the US (INDUS-X) will empower the industry to further facilitate India's role as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region, the US India Business Council President Atul Keshap has said.

The USIBC will host the inaugural INDUS X conference on June 20-21 at the US Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the US Department of Defence and India’s Ministry of Defence.

Following a meeting in New Delhi between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday, they announced the launch of a new defence initiative between the two nations called INDUS-X, which stands for enhanced strategic and defence partnership between India and the US.

Austin’s visit reflects the accelerating convergence between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, Ambassador Keshap, who previously served as the Chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy in New Delhi, said on Monday.

“We are confident that continued progress on tech release under iCET (initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology) and the startup linkages created by the INDUS X defence innovation bridge will empower industry to further facilitate India’s role as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region,” Keshap said in a statement.

“The discussions reinforced the increasing importance the US government is placing on India as a major commercial and defence partner,” he said.

The USIBC applauded both India and the US for establishing a new roadmap for US-India defence industrial cooperation.

“Our USIBC members include the top defence firms in the world, producing sophisticated defence platforms that can enhance Indian and American capabilities in border security, maritime domain awareness, space situational awareness, and more. Such strength helps ensure effective deterrence in an unsettled geostrategic environment,” he said.

Welcoming the Security of Supply Chain Agreement and a reciprocal defence procurement agreement, which were major calls from industry during the initial public-private consultations under the iCET launched at the US Chamber of Commerce in January, Keshap said these are vital steps in the development of the high trust ecosystem which will enable the private sector to be ever more ambitious.

The inaugural INDUS-X conference can foster a richer culture of co-development and co-production between our two nations, accelerating the exchange of technology, knowledge, and trust between our two great and powerful democracies, Keshap said.