Defense Secretary Ashton Carter went on an official visit to India from April 10 to 13 in an effort to expand U.S.-India defense collaboration and revisit existing agreements through talks with Raksha Mantri Shri Manohar Parrikar, India’s defense minister.
The Defense Department said Tuesday Carter and Parrikar met in Goa to review steps for the bilateral defense agreement signed in June and discuss future moves to be prioritized by each country for the coming year.
The defense heads discussed plans to expand partnership under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative, bolster U.S. support for the Indian government’s Make in India program and explore opportunities in maritime security, DoD said.
Carter and Parrikar also announced an agreement in principle to ink a logistics exchange memorandum of agreement that seeks to build on military cooperation and technology sharing, the department added.
They also expressed interest in moving forward with a “white shipping” arrangement that will work to enhance data sharing on commercial shipping traffic as part of the India-U.S. Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, DoD said.
