US in active talks with India to look at production of military systems: Pentagon

The United States is in active talks with the Indian government about the potential production of military systems. The talks cover topics ranging from Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to ground-based conventional warfare, according to Siddharth Iyer, Director for South Asia Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“We are in active talks with the Indian government to look at producing military systems in areas related to ISR and then of course ground-based conventional warfare,” asserted Iyer.

He also highlighted that India and the US are closing in on the security of supply arrangement, which would simplify the procurement process for defense firms.

Defense Procurement Agreement

Making a significant point, Iyer revealed that there remains a strong commitment to establishing a reciprocal defense procurement agreement.

“We are also moving at an aggressive clip to establish a reciprocal defence procurement agreement, which would allow and create the conditions for US and Indian defence industries to increase and streamline market access,” he said.

He stressed on the importance of leveraging this agreement to build solid ties between the defense industries of both countries.

Pentagon’s Priority

As per Iyer’s revelation, the foundation-stone of the US strategy in Indo-Pacific lies in cultivating the relationship with India, making it a top priority for Pentagon.

“Our belief is that getting the US-India relationship right is not just necessary, it’s essential to achieving our strategy in the Indo-Pacific. There’s a broad and deep commitment to making that happen,” he said.

India-US Defense Roadmap :

Included in this reciprocal defense relation are various goals targeted to increase India’s military modernization and stimulate indigenous defense manufacturing.

The roadmap is mixed, it:

1. Identifies priority military fields for collaboration between industries in both nations.
2. Provides mechanisms to integrate supply chains.
3. Establishes oversight to ensure that regulatory barriers and bureaucratic gridlocks don’t halt progress.

Without revealing specific timelines, Siddharth Iyer expressed that significant advancements are expected in the coming months. As private companies, they have worked closely with each other and the government to balance strategic interests and technology security. As part of the upcoming initiatives, the GE engine deal is getting a lot of attention.

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