'India Should Appoint Its Point Person For Defence Tech Talks'

WASHINGTON: The new Indian government needs to appoint its point person for holding talks with the U.S. on the path-breaking Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI), a former top Pentagon official has said.

"One of the biggest things would be a true Indian counterpart for the DTTI and an embrace on the Indian side of coming up with ideas for breakthrough collaborations in coproduction and co-development," Vikram J Singh, who till recently was former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, told PTI.

The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Frank Kendall, who was recently appointed as the American point person to leads the DTTI, would soon be visiting New Delhi.

"He should see everyone involved, but should also have a designated counterpart, someone empowered by the (Indian Defense) Minister and the National Security Advisor," said Singh, who is currently the vice president for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress, an eminent U.S. think-tank.

Noting that the status of India-U.S. defense ties "are fine", Singh, however, said but both the countries could get much more out of the defence security relationship with a little effort.

Also Read:
India Needs Time To Define Its Relationship With U.S.: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel