India, US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem ‘INDUS X’ launched in Washington, DC
The India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem, INDUS X was launched at an event in Washington DC, USA yesterday. Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Promotion) in Ministry of Defence Anurag Bajpai led the Indian delegation in the two-day event. In his welcome remarks on ‘Investing in the Future of US-Indian Defence relations’, he hailed the launch of iCET as a landmark event in India-US relationship. He said this was an opportune moment for this event, as the leaders of the two largest and oldest democracies of the world meet in Washington. The Joint Secretary stressed on the co-development and co-production of advanced technologies by Indian and US start-ups. He further asked the participants to develop mechanisms for future collaboration across industries, academia, and investors.
US Secretary of the Air Force Mr. Frank Kendall gave the opening keynote address at the INDUS-X event. He stated that the India-US relationship is growing exponentially. He emphasised that there is enormous potential for startups of both nations to collaborate in deep tech innovations, especially in Space and Artificial Intelligence (AI) domain. The event saw a first-of-its-kind joint showcasing of innovative technologies by Indian and US start-ups. 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups, from multiple domains of maritime, AI, autonomous systems, and space, showcased their technologies to Indian and US stakeholders.
The exhibition was visited by senior US officials, including Congressman Ro Khanna, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems (CITI) and as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, and by Radha Iyengar Plumb, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, US DoD.
In INDUS X, Two panel discussions and two roundtables were held, focussing on deepening collaborations across various domains, including government, academia, and industry especially startups. Discussion on export control regulations were also held. The INDUS X event was co-organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), Ministry of Defence, and US Department of Defence (DoD) and hosted by US-India Business Council (USIBC).
