The INDUS-X Summit is set to take place in New Delhi on 20-21 February and will mark a crucial milestone in India-US cooperation efforts in defence innovation and strategic technology partnerships.
According to the Defence Ministry, the summit is organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, and Department of Defence (DoD), US, in collaboration with the US-India Business Council and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
INDUS-X Summit in New Delhi
The two-day summit will include a diverse range of events geared to promote collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange. The agenda is filled with insightful events targeted at charting the future trajectory of US-India defence ties, ranging from panel discussions and workshops to senior leaders forums and joint challenge winner felicitations, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
It stated that defence innovation players from various governments, academic and research institutions, investors, defence start-ups, technology incubators, industry associations, and other start-up enablers will collaborate to develop significant initiatives to move INDUS-X forward. “Now, with the INDUS-X summit, stakeholders from both nations will converge in New Delhi to explore and capitalise on emerging opportunities,” it added.
According to the Ministry, the summit seeks to be a “pivotal” event for promoting strategic technology partnerships and defence industrial cooperation between India and the US. It will help set the foundation for connecting domestic entrepreneurs, markets, skilling institutions, government labs, and investment capital, all of which are critical to building successful innovation ecosystems.
#FPNews: The US and India will hold a two-day summit starting on Tuesday to discuss how to strengthen their strategic relationship, with a particular emphasis on developing bilateral defense innovation and cooperation.https://t.co/tJgSid2WcG
— Firstpost (@firstpost) February 20, 2024
What is the INDUS-X Summit?
INDUS-X, launched in June 2023, is aimed at vitalizing defence-industrial cooperation and unlocking innovations in technology and manufacturing between India and the US. “INDUS-X will create jobs for working families in both countries and promote global peace, security, and prosperity,” the US Defence Department said in a press release.
The official release stated both governments’ assistance would lead to increased private-sector cooperation and accelerate innovation by research institutes within defence industrial bases. The objective is to investigate the possibility of co-producing jet engines, long-range artillery, and infantry vehicles.
Since its launch in June 2023 during Indian PM Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the US, the INDUS-X has been at the forefront of expanding bilateral ties in defence innovation.
India-US Defence Partnership
A senior US Defence Department official remarked that INDUS-X symbolises a transformational event in the US-India defence alliance. “To have the world’s largest democracies with some of the most innovative workers and companies working more closely together on strategic technologies and how we can leverage them for security is a natural next step in this relationship,” the official explained.
Further, the US and India are progressively implementing defence cooperation projects that no one would have predicted twenty years ago. “We now have working groups on everything ranging from cyberspace and critical technologies to maritime security, and India is leading in those forums together with the US and like-minded partners,” the official highlighted.
In the future decades, India will be a key strategic partner for the US. The official underlined that India’s increasing commitment to playing a more active international role, particularly in the Indo-Pacific Quad, indicates a new and growing desire to join the US in defending and expanding a shared vision of a free, open, and rules-based global order.