India, US plan to improve defence coordination

The Dollar Business Bureau

India and the United States on Tuesday reiterated the need to expedite their discussions on key defence areas including jet engine technology and aircraft carriers under the India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

The announcement was made by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at the joint press conference with the United States Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who is on a four-day visit to India.

“DTTI has provided an unprecedented platform for our two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation in cutting-edge technologies and to address procedural delays in decision-making. We also agreed to expand DTTI by introducing new and more ambitious projects for mutual collaboration,” Parrikar said.

Striking similarity between DTTI and Make in India programmes and to further bolster engagements under these two, Parrikar said he would work closely with the US Defence Secretary to enhance synergies between the US and Indian companies in high technology areas, in order to facilitate participation of Indian defence companies across global supply chain.

The two leaders also discussed an agreement to conclude an MoU on logistics exchange, beside expressing their commitments to enhance military cooperation and technology transfer.

“They commended the on-going discussions at the Jet Engine Technology Joint Working Group (JETJWG) and the Joint Working Group on Aircraft Carrier Technology Cooperation (JWGACTC). They agreed to work towards greater cooperation in the field of cutting-edge defence technologies, including deepening consultations on aircraft carrier design and operations, and jet engine technology,” a joint-press statement said.

Parrikar also informed the US Defence Secretary about the new Defence Procurement Policy as well as other policy reforms the government of India has announced in recent months and sought more participation of US defence companies under its Make in India initiative.

“In support of Make in India, the United States shared two proposals to bolster India's suite of fighter aircraft for consideration of the government of India,” the statement said.