Blitz Bureau
The defence relationship between India and the United States is accelerating and advancing in terrific and exciting ways, including defence industrial base cooperation as well as operational cooperation across the services, the Pentagon has said.
The remarks of the headquarters of the US Department of Defence come amid the transition from the Joe Biden administration to President-elect Donald Trump-led administration. Talking to reporters in Washington DC, Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said the India-US defence ties are a continuing growth area. India has been accorded the status of the Major Defence Partnership by the United States.
Biden administration officials have described the defence ties as one of the key pillars of this relationship. The two countries concluded the Security of Supply Arrangement this year, enhancing the mutual supply of defence goods and services.
Meanwhile,Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Vinay Mohan Kwatra, along with U.S. Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, visited NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston and met with representatives from NASA and ISRO, including two Indian astronauts undergoing training at the facility. These astronauts are preparing for a proposed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for 2025, which will mark a significant milestone in India-U.S. collaboration on human spaceflight.
A press statement from the US Department of State highlighted the importance of this collaboration. The discussions included plans to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite in 2025, a joint Earth science mission aimed at providing critical environmental data.
In a post on X, Ambassador Kwatra said, “Wonderful to visit the Johnson Space Center of @NASA with @DeputySecState Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer. Had the opportunity to discuss India and US space cooperation including in human space flight program and enhancing partnership between the two private sectors in the fields of innovation and technology. Was also glad to meet the Indian astronauts training at Houston.”
