World News | Defense Innovation Summit to Accelerate US-India Joint Development and Joint Production

WASHINGTON, June 19 (PTI) Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States, some prominent defense sector companies from both countries will participate in an innovation summit that will serve as a bridge that is expected to advance their The industry cooperation among them is unprecedented.

A number of key private sector defense players from India and the US will be participating in the INDUS-X summit, which begins on June 20, where a “Joint Challenge” will be launched under the Defense Innovation Bridge, focusing on dual-use cases common to both countries.

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The inaugural INDUS X is expected to result in an India-US joint innovation fund to promote defense-in-depth startups in both countries.

The fund aims to use the public-private partnership model to raise capital and expertise. The conference will involve leading universities, incubators and accelerators. Partnerships with these entities will support defense innovation programs.

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USIBC will also establish a senior advisory group of government officials, industry leaders, and academic experts to guide future bilateral collaborations under the banner of INDUS X.

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on Tuesday to launch INDUS X, where a joint working group will be established to guide activities under the Defense Innovation Bridge. Organizer officials at the US India Business Council (USIBC) said the group will encourage interaction between start-ups and representatives from the two countries and foster mutual trust.

It will also see USIBC establish a senior advisory group of government officials, industry leaders and academic experts to guide future bilateral cooperation under the banner of INDUS X.

INDUS X is part of a broader strategic and defense partnership initiative, the “Defense Innovation Bridge”, announced under the Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) Initiative, the Indian Defense Excellence in Innovation initiative leads for defense production.

ICET was launched earlier this year in Washington DC by National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan.

The two also met in New Delhi last week.

During U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s recent visit to India, the two sides initiated negotiations on a supply chain security agreement and a defense procurement agreement, and developed a roadmap for defense industry cooperation.

USIBC said the INDUS X conference leverages this momentum to foster a joint defense innovation ecosystem and facilitate co-development and co-production between the two countries.

US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William A LaPlante, US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Dr. Vivek Lall from General Atomics were other prominent speakers at the two-day event.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)