US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks discusses bilateral ties with NSA Ajit Doval

US Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks met with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Washington on Tuesday and discussed priorities for the bilateral defense partnership between the two sides, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon said the discussions also included strengthening political and operational coordination in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthening defense industry cooperation between the two countries. "They discussed a range of topics including US-India defense cooperation and regional security issues," the Indian embassy said in a tweet on Tuesday.

In a report from the meeting, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said Hicks reiterated that building alliances and partnerships is a top priority and an integral part of the ongoing implementation of America's national defense strategy. “The United States and India affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, managed, and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values ​​and respect for universal human rights. We are committed to fostering an open, accessible and secure technology ecosystem based on mutual trust and confidence that will strengthen our democratic values ​​and democratic institutions,” the White House said. "To expand and deepen our technology partnership, the United States and India are launching new bilateral initiatives and welcome new collaborations between our governments, industry, and academia in the following areas," the statement added.

Pahon thanked Doval for India's leadership in the region and discussed the possibilities of deepening coordination between the militaries of the two sides to address the region's increasingly contested strategic environment. Meanwhile, India's ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, said he had signed an Implementation Agreement between the two nations.

"Enhancing Bilateral Cooperation in S&T Delighted to sign the Implementation Arrangement between Department of Science and Technology @IndiaDST and National Science Foundation @NSF along with my good friend Panch @DrPanch and in the presence of NSA Ajit Doval and @JakeSullivan46," the Indian envoy said in a tweet. "The two also discussed opportunities to increase bilateral defense industrial cooperation through innovative joint efforts between US and Indian firms that support India's unique operational requirements," he said.