PM Modi’s state visit to Washington has attracted much attention all over the world. Many speeches and events have been covered by the media in plenty however the joint statement which might seem as perplexing and boring, or maybe anodyne, filled with diplomatic jargon hasn’t gotten much coverage. The 58 Para joint statement is bristling with stories that will be followed by our science and defense team. The joint statement is indeed key to the summit.
The opening statement states “US and India are the closest relationships” The relationship is defined as democratic, working for global good, and human rights concerning the “QUAD”. This is followed by a very interesting line- “No corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries which spans from the sea to the stars”.
When we look at the operative part, the very first section is concerned with technology, indicating the vision of the summit. The two countries have held the inauguration on critical and emerging technology i.e. iCET. The decision of NASA and ISROU to work together has also been welcomed. Both countries have also signed on “Semiconductor Supply Chain partnership”. Taking advantage of the abundant human resource present in India, American companies such as Applied Materials has announced an investment of 400 billion dollars for collaborative engineering in India. We also observe Artificial Intelligence or AI features in several paragraphs indicating India’s prime interests in the partnership with the US. High-performance computers (HPC) and source code is the cutting edge area of the US and President Biden has remarked to ease exports of HPC and Source Code. This is also the area of exports which is tightly restricted. Hence, this is a big leap.
Once again there is a collaboration under nuclear science. The leaders also welcome the Laser Interferometer Generational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). This is designed to detect gravitational waves which in nature are incredibly weak making their detection extremely challenging. This shall help in space exploration. It is important to note, it was in this area India was under heavy sanctions by the US however today the two countries are collaborating at the most sensitive levels.
India and US also hailed the landmark signing making F-414 engines in India. This will enable greater transfer of US Jet engine technology than ever before. The statement is followed by setting up a US-India defense Acceleration Eco System which cuts through both defense and science. It is a combination of universities, startups, industry, and think tanks and will facilitate innovations in defense technology and the production of advanced defense technology. This shall prove to be extremely useful for India to strengthen its defense and consequently enhance its security. The statement proceeds by declaring “The US Defense space force has signed its FIRST international Cooperative research and development agreement” with two Indian companies.
The high point for us is the appreciation of India’s VSK energies 1.5 billion dollar investment to develop a new vertically integrated solar panel manufacturing operation in the US. This is a case of an Indian company investing in the US. The US has promised to aid India’s ambitious Net Zero Railway target. Thus, climate change and green energy have also been featured in the document.
Several other issues concerning the cusp of security, defense, and technology also feature in the document. Coming to the end, shared values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law take the last spot.
