U.S. Seeks Pathfinder Projects To Boost Defence Ties With India

Kendall, who has made several trips to India after being assigned with the task by Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, plans to review all these proposals in early September and submit to his Indian counterparts before Prime Minister Modi travels to the U.S. in the last week of September.

Modi is coming to the U.S. to primarily attend the 70th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and address a massive gathering of Indian Americans in the Silicon Valley on September 27. While officials remain tight-lipped about it, President Barack Obama and Modi are expected to meet in New York.

As per the joint Obama-Modi statement in January, the two leaders decided to increase the frequency of their meetings.

The hotline or the secure line of communication as agreed upon during the meeting had recently become operational.

Industry sources familiar with the DTTI initiative feel that there is not much enthusiasm among the Indians on the majority of the projects taken under this, except for the air craft carrier projects. A team of Indian officials were recently in U.S. for the first meeting of the joint working group in this regard.

India, sources felt, would be interested in co- development and co-production projects that would catch the imagination of the people of the country and the projects currently being pursued except for aircraft carrier, has failed to meet that standard.

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