India and the US have taken key decisions across the breadth of cooperation between the countries including defence, trade, public health, climate, terrorism and among others, at the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington.
In a joint statement issued after the conclusion of the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on Monday, the two sides commended the significant and continuing progress in the India-US Major Defence Partnership.
Comprehensive defence partnership
“Drawing on the momentum from the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting in October 2021, they reaffirmed their ambitions for building an advanced and comprehensive defence partnership in which the US and Indian militaries coordinate closely together across all domains,” the statement said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar led the Indian delegation for 2+2 meet, while the US side was represented by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Singh called the meeting “very meaningful” and one that helped both the countries take stock of the situation in “our neighbourhood” and the Indian Ocean Region.
“The meeting is important in strengthening the strategic defence engagement between and the US and will enable us to work alongside in areas of mutual interest. Our increased cooperation will be critical to maintain peace and security, and to ensure free access to global commons. (sic),” he tweeted.
As information-sharing forms an important pillar of the India-US defence cooperation, the ministers underlined the importance of building a comprehensive framework under which the militaries are equipped to exchange information in real-time across domains.
Singh said both the sides had discussions on a range of bilateral, defence and global issues.
“It was heartening to note that as world’s largest democracies, we have convergence of views on most of them. Both India and the US share a common vision of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region. Our partnership is of critical importance for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean Region,” he said.
During the meeting, India’s focus on developing its domestic capabilities and helping to ensure reliable defence supplies was highlighted. The ministers said they were committed to work closely across their respective governments on co-production, co-development, cooperative testing of advanced systems, investment promotion, and the development of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in India.
Collaboration on new defence domains
The ministers also acknowledged the importance of deepening collaboration in science and technology in the India-US Joint Technical Group (JTG), and in evolving new defence domains, including space, artificial intelligence (AI), and cyber. They underscored the importance of cooperation in space and welcomed plans to conduct an inaugural Defence Space Dialogue in 2022. They welcomed the second Defence Cyber Dialogue held in 2021 and look forward to the next round this year.
They decided to hold an inaugural AI Dialogue this year to harness opportunities for joint innovation and cooperation in new domains. The ministers also discussed additional training opportunities for their respective militaries, and the United States welcomed enhanced Indian participation in advanced courses across these emerging domains. They welcomed the progress made toward full implementation of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) to support the exchange of geospatial information. They noted that information exchange and placement of liaison officers in each other’s military organisations will spur joint service cooperation between our militaries to support integrated and multi-domain cooperation.
Deepening maritime cooperation
Acknowledging that their navies have been a driving force in advancing the US and India’s shared interests in the Indian Ocean Region and the wider Indo-Pacific, they discussed opportunities to further advance and deepen maritime cooperation, including in underwater domain awareness.
The United States also welcomed India’s decision to join the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces Task Force as an associate partner to expand multilateral cooperation in the Indian Ocean. Singh said the task force will strengthen the cooperation in regional security in the western Indian Ocean.
Both sides look forward to India’s co-hosting of the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) and Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) in 2023.
In support of the Indian military’s expanding operational reach and emerging opportunities for cooperation in the Indian Ocean and the wider region, the ministers welcomed regular bilateral logistics operations such as replenishments at sea, air-to-air and ground-refuelling and committed to increasing such cooperation, including through the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of regular bilateral and multilateral exercises, including the Malabar exercise with the inclusion of Australia, the tri-service Tiger Triumph exercise, the multilateral Milan naval exercise, the bilateral Yudh Abhyas and Vajra Prahar Army exercises, the bilateral COPE India air exercise, and Indian participation in Red Flag. They supported increasing the scope and complexity of these exercises. They looked forward to deepening cooperation between the Special Forces of both countries.
On the space front
Both sides announced the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding on Space Situational Awareness and pledged to expand bilateral space cooperation, acknowledging the pivotal role international cooperation plays in the long-term sustainability and safety of the outer-space environment. They applauded the ongoing development of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, planned for launch from India in 2023. The NISAR mission will collect data vital to tackling the climate crisis. The ministers also looked forward to the convening of the next India-US Civil Space Joint Working Group in 2022.
Ukraine crisis
On the Ukraine crisis, both the sides urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“The ministers unequivocally condemned civilian deaths. They underscored that the contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, respect for international law, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states,” the joint statement read.
Ahead of the 2+2 Ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden had discussed the situation in Ukraine in detail. The US was unsuccessful to persuade India to toe the NATO line towards the crisis. US officials also confirmed that during the talks Biden did not make any demands to India to stop energy imports from Russia, neither did Modi make any commitment in this regard from his end.
‘Terrorism as an instrument of statecraft’
The ministers also discussed the use of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft against India.
Both the countries called on the Taliban in Afghanistan to follow the resolution of the United Nations Security Council and not allow Afghan territory to be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or plan terror attacks.
A similar call was also made to Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to foster terrorists.
Demanding that the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack be brought to justice, the ministers also called for concerted action against all terror outfits proscribed by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee including the al-Qaida, Islamic State (Deash), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizb ul Mujahideen.
(With inputs from agencies)