Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the US this month, invited by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. During his four-day visit starting on June 21, Modi will attend a state dinner on June 22. The Pentagon has said that this visit will set new standards for US-India ties, and there may be big announcements regarding defence industrial cooperation and boosting India’s military base. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said that the visit will be a historic moment for the relationship, similar to the Japan two plus two earlier this year. Ratner added that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited India recently to prepare for the prime minister’s visit by finalizing agreements and initiatives. The priority is to strengthen India’s indigenous defence industrial base and advance military modernization. The US and India are also working on the initiative for critical and emerging technology (iCET) to bolster technology cooperation between the two countries. Ratner believes that there will be big announcements about particular projects around defence industrial cooperation during Modi’s visit.
