NEW DELHI: US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval have pledged to take “concrete action” in the coming months against long-standing barriers to strategic trade, technology and industrial cooperation and to prevent leakage of sensitive technologies to countries of concern, in the first high-level talks between the two countries since the NDA government was restored this month.
After several false starts earlier this year, Sullivan finally arrived in India on Monday to launch with Doval a comprehensive review of cooperation under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), which is expected to take ties to the next level by removing regulatory barriers and creating a new defense industrial roadmap for joint development and production.
Sullivan also met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi said in a post on X that India remains committed to strengthening the India-US partnership for the global benefit. Sullivan briefed on the progress of iCET collaboration in areas such as AI, semiconductors, defence and space. During the meeting, PM Modi expressed satisfaction with the speed and scale of the expansion of the partnership and its convergence on regional and global issues.
The NSAs also exchanged views on issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Gaza conflict. According to a joint fact sheet released after the NSA meeting, Doval and Sullivan stressed the critical importance of adapting the “technology protection toolkit” during their second iCET meeting and resolved to prevent sensitive and dual-use technologies from leaking to countries of concern. While neither side identified any countries of concern, the US has sought to block technology leaks to Russia. India continues to maintain strong defense ties with Russia despite unprecedented technology transfer commitments from the US, such as the GE-HAL contract for joint production of jet engines.
According to a fact sheet titled “India and US continue to chart an ambitious path towards iCET,” Doval and Sullivan stressed the need for continued efforts to address outstanding barriers to technology cooperation, particularly under the Strategic Trade Dialogue. They acknowledged progress in GE-HAL jet deal negotiations, India's plans to procure MQ-9B armed drones, and the possibility of joint production of ground combat systems.
In the defense sector, the two countries also focused on deepening cooperation to accelerate joint introduction of cutting-edge commercial technologies for military solutions and strengthening the capabilities of both countries' defense ecosystems through memorandums of understanding and other agreements, as well as expanding defense industrial partnership through the launch of jointly developed AI multi-domain situational awareness products.
“Our efforts remain rooted in our shared commitment to ensuring that technologies are designed, developed and deployed in a manner consistent with democratic values ​​and respect for universal human rights, and the recognition that the future security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region depends on the strength of India and the United States,” the joint fact sheet said.
Doval and Sullivan, whose visit was postponed twice earlier this year, also underscored their commitment to seek breakthroughs in priority and critical emerging technology areas by focusing on co-production, co-development, research and development opportunities. They focused on strengthening collaboration with like-minded countries to deliver safe, reliable and cost-competitive technology solutions to “the people of India and the United States, and our partners around the world.”
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US, India pledge to remove barriers, prevent technology leakage to countries of concern | India News
