US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will visit India in April this year during which he will meet the top leadership here and review bilateral cooperation in the critical sector and also identify new areas of access in the defence procurement market.
Carter is likely to arrive here on April 9 and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.
“He will be reviewing the existing Defence cooperation and identify new areas,” Defence sources said. During his visit in June last year, he had signed the 2015 Framework for India-US Defence Relationship, which builds upon the previous framework and successes to guide bilateral Defence and strategic partnership for the next 10 years.
The new framework agreement provides avenues for high-level strategic discussions, continued exchanges between armed forces of both countries and strengthening of Defence capabilities.
Another area of focus would be the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Both India and the US have finalised two project agreements for joint development of mobile electric hybrid power sources and next-generation protective ensembles.
Both are also working on taking forward the cooperation on jet engines and aircraft carrier design and construction.
Concerns on the Indian side include lack of transfer of critical technology by the US and its financial and technological aid to Pakistan widely perceived as a haven of terror especially directed towards India.