Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval talk to US Counterparts

The first official and public contact between the governments of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Joe Biden took place on January 28 with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and new US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin engaging in an introductory telephone call.

During the call, which was made from the US side, there was a reaffirmation of the Indo-Pacific vision, backed by both Washington and Delhi. Issues concerning bilateral ties, regional concerns and global agendas were also discussed between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US Counterpart.

NSA Ajit Doval on January 26 congratulated Jake Sullivan on his appointment as the National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden.

“NSA Doval underscored that as leading democracies, with an abiding faith in an open and inclusive world order, India and the US were uniquely positioned to work closely on regional and international issues including combating the scourge of terrorism, maritime security, cyber security and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” a statement by the Ministry of External Affaris (MEA) said.

India-US defence ties have been on an upward trajectory since June 2016 when the US designated India as a “Major Defence Partner”.

In the final days of the Trump administration, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited India and the two countries signed the crucial BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement which provides for sharing of high-end military technology geospatial maps between the two countries.

Prior to BECA, India and the US signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 and Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016.