India and the US will discuss the entire range of defence ties and explore ways to further enhance co-operation through joint exercises during Army Vice chief Lt General S K Saini’s four-day visit to America beginning Saturday. His visit comes ahead of the proposed 2+2dialogue between defence and foreign ministers of the two countries in New Delhi on October 26-27.
It will be third 2+2 dialogue between the two countries in the last three years. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold extensive discussions with their US counterparts Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo. The meeting will take place in the backdrop of ongoing tension at the Line of Actual Control(LAC)in Ladakh with China.
The first 2+2 dialogue was held in Delhi in September 2018 after the mechanism was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump. The second edition of the dialogue took place in Washington in December last year. The new framework of the ministerial dialogue was initiated in order to provide a forward-looking vision for the strategic partnership between the two countries.
In the parleys, both sides are also expected to delve into the situation in the Indo-Pacific region as well as in India's neighbourhood besides key bilateral issues. On the Vice Chief’s schedule, the Army said the aim of the visit is to enhance military cooperation between both the Armies. He will visit the US Army Pacific Command, the Army component of Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) and exchange ideas extensively with the military leadership apart from witnessing training and equipment capabilities of US Army.