The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit, centred on the theme “Harnessing Investment Opportunities to Enhance Cross-Border Defence Innovation Ecosystems,” is being held at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, from September 9-10.
The event will highlight the importance of private capital in advancing the defence innovation sector and is set to bring together key defence policymakers from Washington and New Delhi.
Sessions at the summit will include leaders from both the private and public sectors, with discussions focusing on strengthening defence and advanced technology partnerships, funding defence innovation, and ensuring resilient supply chains.
Here are 10 key points about INDUS-X to put the siginificance of the event in context:
1. The launch: Launched on June 21, 2023, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington, DC, INDUS-X represents an enhanced strategic and defence partnership between India and the United States, initiated by the US Department of Defence and India’s Ministry of Defence.
2. Focus on China, Russia: The initiative aims to boost the defence technological capabilities of both nations, with a particular focus on balancing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific. As the US-India relationship deepens, India’s reliance on Russian defence equipment may diminish over time.
3. Early results visible: INDUS-X’s growing collaboration between US academic institutions and Indian startups is already showing meaningful outcomes in addressing national security challenges, including potential partnerships to develop 5G technologies for secure battlefield communications in India’s contested border areas with China, according to the United States Institute of Peace.
4. How both sides benefit: INDUS-X seeks to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation by strengthening commercial ties between the US and Indian defence industries. It addresses India’s longstanding interest in defence technology cooperation while letting the US use Indian defence capabilities and diversify its supply chains.
5. Bridging information gaps: The initiative aims to bridge information gaps by addressing business opportunities and demystifying US and Indian acquisition processes for investors, policymakers, and startups. The US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), launched in January 2023, and INDUS-X, introduced as iCET’s defence component, have catalysed efforts to close these gaps.
6. Spotlight on startups: The Gurukul education series has been established to assist US and Indian defence startups in engaging with experts on topics such as securing private capital for defense innovation, navigating regulations, export controls, and diversifying supply chains.
7. Role of non-governmental stakeholders: Nongovernmental stakeholders have played a role in advancing the INDUS-X agenda by organising summits, expos, and workshops, and hosting sideline meetings aimed at identifying knowledge gaps between the public and private sectors.
8. Creating networks: A second key aspect of INDUS-X is its role in creating cross-national, social, and commercial networks to connect private investors and labs with startups and engineers.
9. Avoiding regulatory hurdles: By connecting government with private enterprise, INDUS-X seeks to mitigate the regulatory hurdles of integrating defence knowledge, goods, and services.
10. Geopolitical considerations: These are also integral to the cooperation. India, strategically located along the international sea route connecting Europe, West Asia, and the Pacific Rim, offers a crucial location for the US Indo-Pacific Command. India’s potential as a maintenance hub for US Navy assets was highlighted when US Navy Ship (USNS) Charles Drew underwent repairs in India in August 2022, followed by USNS Mathew Perry in March 2023.
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10 things about INDUS-X, the India-US defence tech partnership
