Washington: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh interacted with the senior leadership of US defence companies in Washington, DC, on Friday (local time) and outlined the various emerging co-development and co-production opportunities in the defence sector in India.

During the industry roundtable organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Rajnath Singh invited the defence companies to work with Indian partners to accelerate our Make in India program towards achieving Atmanirbharta in the defence sector.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh stated, "Had fruitful interaction with leading U.S. defence companies at the Defence Industry - Roundtable organised by @USISPF (US India Strategic Partnership Forum). Invited them to work with Indian partners to accelerate our Make in India program towards achieving Atmanirbharta in defence sector. Together, Indian and US companies will co-develop and co-produce for the world."

The Union Defence Minister highlighted that 'Partnership' and 'Joint Efforts' are the two keywords that differentiate India's defence industry partnership with other nations, according to Ministry of Defence press release.

In a press release, the Ministry of Defence stated, "The progressive reforms undertaken by the Government of India have encouraged many foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers, including those from the US, to set up manufacturing units in India, develop Joint Ventures, and also to make India their alternate export base. The planned co-production of GE 414 aero-engines in India shall be a significant milestone in India-US bilateral relations."

Senior leadership from prominent US defence and technology companies such as Boeing, GE, General Atomics, General Dynamics Land Systems, L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Rolls Royce, and ThayerMahan attended the event, according to Ministry of Defence press release.

In addition, a few Indian companies, like IdeaForge, Tata Sons and Tsecond, along with senior leaders from The Cohen Group, attended the interaction with Rajnath Singh, according to the Ministry of Defence press release. During the interaction, the business leaders briefly outlined their ongoing projects and plans for India and provided valuable feedback.

During his visit to US, Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging discussions on the issues of bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, and regional security with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Friday.

Singh highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in the areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, which was adopted last year, the Ministry of Defence stated in a press release.

The two leaders also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative and the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

They welcomed the ongoing Indian participation in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and noted that India will deploy Indian Navy personnel to CMF's Combined Task Force 150 headquarters in 2025. The Defence Minister and Secretary Austin commended the efforts of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) for establishing the Defence Innovation bridge between the two countries.

They appreciated INDUS-X establishing robust networks across start-ups, industry, academia, and governments, accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and enhancing the warfighting capabilities of both sides.

The upcoming INDUS X Silicon Valley Summit in September 2024 will witness announcements of several key initiatives, the Ministry of Defence stated. Both ministers expressed happiness over the conclusion of the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) between India and the US.

(With Inputs From Agencies)