New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI): Top defence officials from India and the United States held high-level bilateral discussions on Sunday during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening strategic military cooperation, enhancing regional security coordination, and bolstering operational readiness across the Indo-Pacific.
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), met with Lt Gen Joshua Rudd, Deputy Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, as part of India’s participation in the multilateral exercise hosted in Australia.
The meeting, held over tea, focused on future joint operations and collaboration to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. According to the Integrated Defence Staff, the talks explored “various avenues for strengthening #DefenceCooperation and collaboration,” emphasizing the mutual resolve of both nations toward regional security.
“#India – #USA Defence engagements underscore mutual resolve towards #RegionalSecurity and stability in the #IndoPacific,” the Integrated Defence Staff posted on X.
The engagement highlights the growing momentum in India-US strategic relations, particularly in the defence domain, which has seen significant expansion in recent years. Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon. Both leaders acknowledged the deepening of defence cooperation, calling it a cornerstone of bilateral ties.
“I am here with you at the Pentagon because we believe that our defence partnership is, today, truly one of the most consequential,” Jaishankar stated during the meeting.
Secretary Hegseth expressed satisfaction with India’s integration of US defence platforms and reiterated the US commitment to advancing industrial cooperation and joint production efforts. “The US is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defence items… We hope to complete several major pending defence sales to India, expand our co-production networks, strengthen interoperability, and formally sign a new framework of US-India major defence partnership,” Hegseth said.
This surge in high-level defence engagements follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States earlier this year. During that visit, PM Modi and then-President Donald Trump announced plans to formalize a new ten-year framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership.
India and the US have increasingly aligned their defence ecosystems, with the Indian military operating several key US-origin platforms including the C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I Poseidon maritime aircraft, CH-47F Chinooks, MH-60R Seahawks, AH-64E Apaches, M777 howitzers, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and MQ-9B drones.
Both nations have also committed to co-developing Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicles in India, a move aimed at enhancing India’s self-reliance and defence manufacturing capabilities.
Exercise Talisman Sabre, one of the Indo-Pacific’s largest and most comprehensive military drills, provides a robust platform for enhancing India-US interoperability, fostering mutual understanding, and supporting shared strategic objectives in the region. (ANI)
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