U.S Sets Aside $20 Mn For Strategic Tech Projects With India

WASHINGTON: With the India-U.S Defence Trade and Technology Initiative regaining momentum after the Indian elections, the U.S has set aside $20 million for strategic cooperative science and technology projects with India, according to a top U.S official.

During the Indian elections there was a time-out on the initiative, but now progress has resumed, U.S Undersecretary for Defence Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall told the U.S-India Business Council at its summit on U.S-India cooperation last week.

Kendall said he and his Indian counterpart Defence Production Secretary G. Mohan Kumar will meet in-person every six months to take forward the initiative envisaging technology transfer and co-production and co-development of defence equipment.

India will work to finalize approval of the renewal of the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Memorandum of Agreement so it can be signed next month, he said according to a report on the U.S defence department website.

The initiative, part of a broader effort to build the U.S relationship with India, is making progress and aids the US rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, Kendall said.

At the beginning of the initiative, U.S defence department approached the Indian Ministry of Defence with programmes where the two nations could work together, Kendall said.

"These offers included some traditional sales of American equipment as well as a number of what we called co-production and co-development opportunities," he said.

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