India and US Reinforce Ties in Fifth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

New Delhi, Nov 10: India and the United States held their Fifth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue on November 10, 2023, in New Delhi. The meeting saw the participation of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar alongside their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III.

These 2+2 meetings, held annually since 2018, aim to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. Dr S. Jaishankar, in a post-meeting statement, highlighted the agenda, which included advancing the strategic partnership, elevating defence ties, progressing in space and technology, enhancing logistics cooperation, and fostering people-to-people contacts.

The officials exchanged views on various geopolitical issues, such as the Indo-Pacific, South Asia, West Asia, and the conflict in Ukraine. The commitment to collaboration in the multilateral arena and engagement with the Global South was also reaffirmed.

The 2+2 mechanism involves high-level representatives holding Foreign and Defence portfolios from both countries, fostering a better understanding of each other's strategic concerns and sensitivities. This approach aims to build a stronger, more integrated strategic relationship in a rapidly changing global environment.

The dialogue, initiated during the Trump Administration, replaced the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue from the Obama era. It reflects the shared commitment of India and the U.S. to a positive, forward-looking vision for their strategic partnership.

During the recent bilateral talks, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III discussed a wide range of defence and strategic issues. The focus was on enhancing defence-industrial cooperation, with plans to cooperatively co-develop and co-produce defence systems.

The Ministers explored ways to advance defence technology cooperation through joint research in critical areas. They also reviewed the progress of INDUS-X, a platform launched in June to expand strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between India and the U.S.

Secretary Austin welcomed India's decision to become a full member of the Combined Maritime Forces, headquartered in Bahrain.

Symbolically, Rajnath Singh handed over items recovered in Assam, including parts of parachutes, uniforms, and airplanes from the World War II era, as part of the U.S. Defence POW-MIA Accounting Agency Mission.

In the previous year's 2+2 dialogue, held in Washington, D.C., significant topics included the Space Situational Awareness Arrangement, Defence Artificial Intelligence Dialogue, joint cyber training and exercises, and Military Supply Chain Cooperation. Both countries reiterated their commitment to close consultations on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, supporting humanitarian assistance efforts and an independent investigation into violence against civilians.

The United States remains India's oldest and most significant 2+2 partner, with the first dialogue taking place in 2018. The foundational pacts, including a trio of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) following the first 2+2 dialogue in 2018, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020 solidified military cooperation between the two nations.

The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue stands as the highest-level institutional mechanism for exchanges, facilitating engagement between defence and foreign ministers or secretaries from both countries.