Rajnath Singh Speaks To U.S. Defence Secretary Austin

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday discussed with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin ways and means to implement the ambitious India-US defence cooperation roadmap that seeks to significantly elevate strategic ties between the two countries.

In a telephonic conversation, Singh and Austin also discussed a range of issues including that of regional security.

"Had a telephonic conversation with my friend, @SecDef Mr Lloyd Austin and briefly discussed a range of bilateral, regional security and defence cooperation issues," Singh said on 'X'.

"We also discussed ways and means to implement the India-U.S. Defence Cooperation Roadmap which was concluded last year," he said.

The defence ministry said the U.S. defence secretary appreciated the important role being played by the Indian Navy in conducting anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean Region.

"Other defence industrial cooperation issues such as repair of U.S. naval ships in Indian shipyards were also briefly discussed," it said in a statement.

It said both Singh and Austin also reviewed the recent bilateral events such as the INDUS-X summit held in Delhi last month.