India, US mutually aware of regional security concerns, can counter threats together: Hegseth

Washington, July 2 (IANS) During his meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US and India are mutually aware of the security concerns in the region, and have the ability to counter that threat together.

"We're eager to work alongside you to realise our shared goals. They're deep and ongoing”, Hegseth said at the start of their meeting at the Pentagon on Tuesday.

The defence cooperation between India and the US is “one of the most consequential pillars” of the US-India relationship, Jaishankar said.

“It's not built merely on shared interests, but we believe really deepening convergence and of capabilities, of responsibilities," Jaishankar said. "And what we do in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, is absolutely crucial to its strategic stability."

The ties are already strong, but more can be done, he said.

“The world is a complicated place”, he said, “and certainly our partnership can make a big difference too. It's not just for us, it's for the broader region also".

"The United States is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defence items into India's inventory," Hegseth said. "And building on this progress, we hope we can complete several major pending US defence sales to India, expand our shared defense industrial cooperation and coproduction efforts, strengthen interoperability ... between our forces, and then formally sign a new 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership ... which we hope to do very soon”.

According to the Pentagon, they discussed weapons sales and the partnership framework.

Participation in the next INDUS-X Summit, “where the two nations will continue to build on US-India defence industrial cooperation and produce new innovations in technology and manufacturing”, figured in the talks, the Pentagon said.

After their meeting, Jaishankar posted on X, “Had a productive conversation on advancing the India-US defence partnership, building on growing convergences of interests, capabilities and responsibilities”.

Jaishanakar is here for the Quad ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Takeshi Iwaya,of Japan.

Before Jaishankar's meeting with Hegseth, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to him.

He posted on X that they had an “excellent discussion to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building”.

He added that he conveyed his “deep appreciation for the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism” and he was “looking forward to meet him at an early date”.

Hegseth welcomed Jaishankar with an enhanced military honour cordon and a Navy band that played American patriotic tunes and the Jana Gana Mana.

The defence secretary said the US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi “set a strong foundation for our relationship, which we're building on here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic”.

"And our nations boast a rich and growing history of cooperation driven by a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”, he added.

The Pentagon said that India has already integrated into its military US-made weapons like the C 130J Super Hercules, C 17 Globemaster III and P 8I Poseidon aircraft, as well as the CH 47F Chinook, MH 60R Sea Hawk and AH 64E Apache.

India has also deployed the Harpoon antiship missiles, M777 howitzers and MQ 9Bs, it added.

--IANS

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