India-US to give new lease of life to their defence pact

With the meeting between the Defence secretaries from both US and India in New Delhi today, sources say that India and the US are planning to revitalize a defence technology sharing pact by putting several new ideas on the table.

The India US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (2012) was drawn with the aim of identifying and promoting major joint development and manufacturing projects for the defence forces but hasn’t yielded any major results.

Some of the ideas that may be discussed include a focus on startups, the possibility of exports to identified third nations and focusing on practical industry partnerships. Industry has also recommended setting up a Defence Industry Advisory Committee (DIAC) under the pact to enhance government’s efforts to promote technology sharing.