New Delhi, January 25 (ANI) — Daniel P. Driscoll, the US Secretary of the Army, called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi, with discussions focused on deepening bilateral defense cooperation and strengthening military engagement between New Delhi and Washington.
Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X on Sunday, the Additional Directorate General of the Indian Army said, “Mr. Daniel P. Driscoll, US Secretary of the Army, called on General Upendra Dwivedi, COAS. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral defense cooperation, deepening military-to-military engagement, and reinforcing the shared commitment of both armies to global peace and security.”
The visit comes amid sustained momentum in defense ties between India and the United States. In November last year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi visited the United States to deepen the India-US maritime partnership and advance shared strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
Those discussions focused on the core pillars of India-US defense cooperation, including strengthening maritime security and domain awareness, expanding operational interoperability, enhancing information sharing, protecting sea lines of communication and undersea infrastructure, and coordinating responses to humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue, counter-piracy, and other non-traditional security challenges.
Earlier in November, the United States approved the sale of FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems and M982A1 Excalibur precision-guided artillery projectiles, along with associated equipment, to India, with an estimated value of USD 47.1 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the sale, stating that the US State Department had approved military equipment sales worth USD 93 million.
The purchase includes 100 Javelin missiles, one fly-to-buy round, 25 command launch units, training aids, simulation rounds, spare parts, and full lifecycle support.
In October, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth exchanged an agreement on the framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership in Kuala Lumpur, marking a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral defense cooperation.
The development followed the signing of a 10-year Defense Framework Agreement between the United States and India, underscoring the growing strategic alignment between the two countries. Announcing the agreement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the two nations’ “defense ties have never been stronger.”
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