India, US Push Defence Cooperation Forward as Vikram Misri Meets Michael P. Duffey

India and the United States have taken another step toward deepening their strategic defence partnership, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri meeting Michael P. Duffey, the US Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in Washington. According to the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, the meeting was aimed at advancing the India-US major defence partnership at a time when both countries are placing greater emphasis on security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The discussions focused on co-production, sustainment, and shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, indicating that the partnership is moving beyond routine engagement toward more practical and industrial forms of cooperation. That matters because co-production and sustainment are central to long-term defence readiness, supply resilience, and closer alignment between the two countries’ military-industrial ecosystems.

Misri’s Washington engagements also extended beyond defence. He separately met Jeffrey Kessler, US Under Secretary at the Bureau of Industry and Security, and William Kimmitt, US Under Secretary for International Trade. Those discussions, according to the MEA spokesperson, focused on boosting bilateral trade and investment in strategic and emerging technologies, while also exchanging views on evolving export control frameworks.

Taken together, the meetings suggest that India-US ties are being pushed through a broader strategic template that combines defence cooperation, technology partnership, trade expansion, and regulatory coordination. For New Delhi and Washington alike, the message is clear: the relationship is increasingly being built around long-term capability partnerships rather than symbolic diplomacy alone. That final line is an inference based on the subjects covered across the meetings.

Reference:

https://www.newsonair.gov.in/foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-meets-us-under-secretary-michael-p-duffey-to-advance-defence-partnership/
https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/2042121467069132863