The defence relationship between India and the United States is accelerating and advancing in terrific and exciting ways, the Pentagon has said amidst the transition from the Joe Biden administration to that of President-elect Donald Trump.
"The US-India defence relationship stands on its own. It is accelerating and advancing in terrific and exciting ways, both as it relates to defense industrial base cooperation as well as operational cooperation across the services," Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, told reporters at a news conference here.
"It is a continuing growth area, even as the India-China relationship waxes and wanes," Ratner said in response to a question.
India has been accorded the status of Major Defence Partnership by the United States. Biden administration officials have described the defence ties as one of the key pillars of this relationship.
This year, India has agreed with the US for the procurement of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely-piloted aircraft and their associated equipment to enhance the ISR capabilities of India's armed forces in all domains.
India and the US agreed upon the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) this year, which further increases the mutual supply of defense products and services. During a September meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Biden pledged to continue the dialogue over adjusting their respective defense procurement systems further to facilitate mutual defense product and service supplies.
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