Lloyd J Austin, the US Defense Secretary, will arrive in India on Friday evening for a two-day mission, marking the first visit by a cabinet-level official from the Joe Biden government, which took office in January.
Austin will meet with his counterpart in India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, as well as other government officials. Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morison attended the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’s first-ever summit on March 12th.
Prior to his visit to India, US Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to Austin, expanding the procurement of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems.
“If India chooses to go forward with its purchase of the S-400, that act will clearly constitute a significant and therefore sanctionable, transaction with the Russian defense sector under Section 231 of CAATSA. It will also limit India’s ability to work with the US on the development and procurement of sensitive military technology. I expect you to make all of these challenges clear in conversations with your Indian counterparts,” Menendez wrote.
According to the source, Rajnath Singh and Austin may explore possibilities for joint weapon system development, referring to the Centre’s proposal to increase indigenous defense hardware production.
Before leaving, Austin will pay a visit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The standoff between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is also likely to be addressed, and the probable solution may be derived to ease the tension on the Indo-china border.
Afghanistan’s situation has implications for regional and international stability, India has a strong relation with Afghanistan and will try to put every possible effort to ensure peace in the neighboring country.
Both India and the United States have a strong bilateral relationship, with both sides eager to extend bilateral military activities, joint preparation of international peacekeeping forces, and new naval agreements.
The tour takes place at a time when India and China are both embroiled in a military standoff in eastern Ladakh, which started in May 2020.
