Another US cabinet-level secretary will be visiting India this year, following the visits of Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, treasury secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.               

The United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will be visiting India in early June as a part of advancing discussions on bilateral defense cooperation. The statement regarding his arrival was proposed by the assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs Dr. Ely Ratner, who serves as a key architect of the defense posture of administration in the region.  

The strategic alignment between India and the US is highly robust in recent times, especially with a clear directive from the top political leadership in the American system over the prioritization of a defense partnership with India, rather than a mere business-as-usual mode. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US state on June 22^nd comes with a critical agenda to deliver categorical support for the co-production and co-development of the defense system in strengthening the indigenous capabilities of India.

Mr. Austin's visit to India will mark his second trip to the country and his seventh visit to the Indo-Pacific ever since his period in office. He will be traveling to Tokyo and Singapore to address the Shangrila dialogue prior to his arrival in New Delhi. The secretary’s visit has come as a counterpart to Modi’s state visit, aiming to figure out the critical outcomes of defense cooperation.

Mr. Austin is the fourth US cabinet-level secretary to visit India in 2023, post the visit of Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, treasury secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Dr. Ratner has commented on Mr. Austin’s visit as a critical part of the historical period in building out, deepening, modernizing, and advancing the US-India major defense partnership.