Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin on March 18, 2024. Both Ministers briefly discussed a range of bilateral, regional security and defence cooperation issues. They reviewed the recent bilateral events such as the INDUS-X Summit held in New Delhi in February 2024, and the bilateral Tri-Service exercise ‘Tiger Triumph’ which has also commenced in India on March 18, 2024.
The United States Secretary of Defense expressed his appreciation for the significant contribution of the Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region. During their meeting, the two ministers discussed various strategies to execute the India-US Defense Cooperation Roadmap, which was finalized last year. They also briefly discussed other defense industrial cooperation topics, such as the possibility of repairing US naval ships in Indian shipyards.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh & US Secretary of Defence Mr Lloyd Austin hold talks in New Delhi
Both ministers last met during the India-US Ministerial 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi in November of 2023.