Rajnath Singh to embark on four-day US visit for high-level defence talks

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on an official visit to the United States from August 23 to 26, at the invitation of US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, to further enhance the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.

The four-day visit, starting Friday, comes as part of the growing momentum in India-US relations, particularly in the defence sector.

During his visit, Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with the US Defence Secretary to discuss various aspects of defence cooperation between the two nations, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

In addition to this key meeting, the Defence Minister is also scheduled to meet Jake Sullivan, the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, to discuss broader strategic issues.

The visit underscores the deepening military-to-military relationship between India and the US, which both nations view as crucial for stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

As part of his visit, Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level roundtable with representatives of the US defence industry to discuss ongoing and future collaborations in defence manufacturing and technology.

This engagement is expected to strengthen industrial ties and foster new partnerships in the defence sector.

The Defence Minister will also take the opportunity to interact with the Indian community in the US, reinforcing the ties between the two nations at the people-to-people level.

Last week, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh emphasised the importance of the India-US partnership, particularly in light of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) that focuses on the Indo-Pacific and the strategic challenge posed by China.

"The relationship with India remains one of great importance. It's one of great importance to the Indo-Pacific as well," she said at a news conference.

Rajnath Singh's visit marks the high-level engagement between India and the US since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third term in June this year.