U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper meets with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday (Oct. 26) in New Delhi ahead of the 2+2 Dialogue between the U.S. and Indian foreign and defense ministers. The two sides agreed on a Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement and reinforced their commitment to deepening cooperation between the two militaries, including expanding information sharing to address “pressing global security challenges,” the U.S. Defense Department said in a statement.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Defense said that during Secretary of Defense Esper’s meeting with Indian Defense Minister Singh in New Delhi on Monday, the two men praised the strength of the U.S.-India defense relationship and reinforced their commitment to deepening cooperation between the two militaries, including cooperation among the services; enhancing secure communications capabilities; and strengthening mutual engagement on logistics.
During the visit, the U.S. and India reached a basic agreement on exchanges and cooperation. The two Secretaries of Defense expressed appreciation for this. They also welcomed the expansion of information sharing between the two sides.
The DOD statement also said that, from cooperation in developing emerging technologies to prioritizing defense trade enhancements, Esper and Singh agreed to continue to work together to address pressing global security challenges.
This is the second time Esper has participated in a 2+2 meeting between the U.S. and India. The two countries have had three such dialogues.
Although the Defense Department statement does not explicitly mention China, one of the purposes of the U.S.-India elevated strategic partnership is to jointly address the threat posed by China. In a press conference at the State Department prior to his trip to South Asia, Pompeo said that meetings during his visit “also included discussions on how free nations could work together to thwart the threat posed by China’s Communist Party.
U.S.-India relations are heating up rapidly at a time when U.S.-China and India-China relations are deteriorating sharply. Prior to the 2+2 meeting, U.S. government officials described the U.S.-India relationship as “one of the most significant relationships of the 21st century between the world’s two largest democracies.
Earlier this month, Esper and Secretary Pompeo participated in quadripartite talks in Tokyo, Japan between the United States, Japan, India, and Australia. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Begin also recently visited New Delhi.
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