"This way each sector will benefit from each other's expertise," he said, speaking through the virtual mode at a Defence news conclave organised by the US consulate general here in collaboration with NGO Cuts International.

Former Defence secretary Shekhar Dutt said on Friday that Indian and US companies should go for joint ventures, development and production of defence equipment. He said that Indian companies should go for joint ventures and become partners in the global chain of US companies.

"This way each sector will benefit from each other's expertise," he said, speaking through the virtual mode at a Defence news conclave organised by the US consulate general here in collaboration with NGO Cuts International.

Dutt said that Indian and US companies should go for joint ventures, development and production of defence equipment.

"Joint development will result in new types of equipment and abilities; both India and USA have personnel who can give a new direction to technology," he said, claiming that the two countries can be an unmatched force if they bond together.

Former Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha (Retd) said that India has conducted nearly 30 air exercises involving more than 25 countries, of which many are with the US Air Force.

"The exercises that IAF conducts with USAF bilaterally or multilaterally have a strategic and geopolitical history," he said. India held the Cope Thunder joint air exercise with the USAF in 2004 and this year the sixth edition of it - Cope India 2023, was held at Kalaikunda, Panagarh and Agra. Raha said that China's expansionism, as also the 9/11 terror attack catalysed collaboration between the US and Indian defence forces and joint air exercises commenced between the air forces of the two countries.

"There are many lessons we learnt from the joint exercises - interoperability, logistics management, networks of each other, maintenance activities and tactical exercises," he said.

The former Air chief said that military diplomacy is a very important pillar of total diplomacy of a nation.

Speaking at the conclave through the virtual mode, US Army attache in India Colonel Douglas Hess said that it is important to recognise that the US and India have never been more interconnected, whether through the information connection of the internet or through global supply chains.

"Historic challenges require unprecedented cooperation with like-minded allies and partners who share in the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"In this endeavour, the United States is proud to work alongside India's leadership in South Asia and the Indian Ocean, as a driving force of the Quad and other multinational fora, and as an engine for regional growth and development," Hess said.

Stating that nations cannot wait until a crisis arrives to build partnerships, he said that one cannot surge trust, but has to build it early and deepen it every day.

"These military cooperation efforts, combined with bilateral and multilateral economic, health and climate initiatives, prepare us to be ready to work together when a crisis hits," he said.

The high-voltage Malabar exercise featuring the navies of all four Quad countries -- India, the US, Australia and Japan -- is set to take place off Sydney from August 11 to 21.

The focus of the wargame is expected to be on expanding overall maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific that has been witnessing growing military muscle flexing by China.