Second 2+2 dialogue is a chance to set ambitions high: US defence expert

Washington, December 18

Observing that the defence ties between India and the US remain very strong and growing, an eminent defence and aerospace expert has said that the second 2+2 dialogue between the two countries is a chance to set ambitions high.

The 2+2 dialogue on Wednesday comes after a record four meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump this year, including the massive joint address by the leaders in Houston in September.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would be hosted by their American counterparts Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department for the dialogue.

The first 2+2 was held in New Delhi in September last year after the mechanism was approved by Modi and Trump.

“India-US defence ties remain very strong and growing. The second 2+2 is a chance to set ambitions high,” Vikram J Singh, former Pentagon and State Department official during the previous Obama Administration told PTI.

“Operationally, we’ve seen breakthroughs like tri-service exercises and the robust engagement of the QUASD (India and the US with Japan and Australia),” Singh, who is currently a senior adviser for Defence and Aerospace for the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), said.

The major challenges, he noted, are peripheral to defence but could affect it: trade disputes that remain unresolved and US sanctions on Russia and Iran that could affect India.

Responding to a question, Singh said these talks ranged from political to strategic to tactical. PTI