Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be on an official visit to the United States from August 23 to 26 at the invitation of Defence Secretary of the US Lloyd Austin. His visit is to further facilitate the India-US Comprehensive Globe Strategic Partnership.
The four-day visit, beginning Friday, comes at a time of growing momentum in India-US relations, particularly in the area of defence.
"He will have a bilateral meeting with the US Defence Secretary covering various facets of defence cooperation between the two countries," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Besides this important meeting, the Defence Minister will also meet the US NSA Jake Sullivan to discuss wider strategic issues.
The visit highlighted growing military-to-military ties between India and the United States—two strategic partners considered crucial for support in keeping the region stable.
Rajnath Singh will also be leading a high-level roundtable with the US defence industry on the ongoing changes and probable areas of collaboration in the defence industry and defence technology.
The move is expected to bolster industrial interactions and pave the way for new partnerships in the defence sector.
He will also be meeting the Indian diaspora in the US as part of further expanding people's acquaintanceships.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh, during a news conference last week, underlined that the India-U.S. partnership was important, particularly against the backdrop of the National Defense Strategy and the shift in the military's priority to the Indo-Pacific and strategic challenges emerging from China.
"The relationship with India is of great importance, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region," she added.
The visit of Rajnath Singh is believed to be a high-level engagement between India and the US after the third-term swearing in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this June.
Read also | Acharya Pramod Krishnam Questions Rahul Gandhi's Absence from Ayodhya and Kolkata Visits
Read also | BJP Picks Manan Mishra as Rajya Sabha Candidate from Bihar
