Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh meets US Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo; regional and global security issues also discussed
New Delhi: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Pacific Command, who is on a visit to India. During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to further strengthen the India-US defence and strategic partnership and exchanged views on a range of regional and global security issues.
The discussions focused on deepening defence cooperation between the two countries, with both sides emphasising the importance of closer coordination in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthening interoperability between the Indian and US armed forces.
India and the US have steadily expanded their defence partnership in recent years, with cooperation covering military exercises, maritime security, defence technology, intelligence sharing, logistics support, professional military exchanges and defence industrial cooperation.
The two countries conduct major bilateral and multilateral military exercises involving their Army, Navy and Air Force, providing opportunities to enhance operational coordination, interoperability and readiness. Cooperation in the maritime domain has also gained greater significance amid the evolving security environment in the Indo-Pacific.
The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) have provided an important framework for expanding operational and information-sharing cooperation between the two countries.
Defence technology and industrial collaboration have also emerged as important pillars of the partnership, with India and the US working towards greater co-development, co-production, technology cooperation and integration of defence supply chains.
The meeting between Rajesh Kumar Singh and Admiral Paparo assumes significance amid the two countries’ shared interest in maintaining a free, open, secure and rules-based Indo-Pacific and strengthening their ability to respond collectively to emerging regional and global security challenges.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to further advancing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, with defence cooperation remaining a key pillar of bilateral relations.