US Def Sec Austin and Singh to discuss ways to operationalise major defence partnership: Pentagon

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will discuss ways to operationalise the major defence partnership that the two countries have, according to a top Pentagon official.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh next week in India and discuss ways to operationalise the major defence partnership that the two countries have, according to a top Pentagon official. The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years and in June 2016, the US had designated India a “Major Defence Partner”. The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation.