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Context:
- The third edition of the INDUS-X Summit concluded in the United States.
- Title: “Harnessing Investment Opportunities to Enhance Cross-Border Defense Innovation Ecosystems”.
What is INDUS-X?
In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) launched the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X).
Purpose
- INDUS-X serves as an innovation bridge, fostering partnerships among defense companies of all sizes from the U.S. and India.
- It involves incubators, accelerators, investors, and universities, backed by the support of both the S. and Indian governments.
- INDUS-X advances the commitment by the U.S. and Indian national security advisors to build a defense innovation bridge between the two countries under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
Read above iCET: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/initiative-on-critical-and-emerging-technology
Achievements so far
Joint Challenges:
- Companies competed to identify commercial technology solutions that address warfighter challenges.
- HydroNet, OceanComm, PierSight, Pixxel, and Sea-Gal Technologies collectively won $300,000 to develop technologies on maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and undersea communications.
Education Series:
During the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in November 2023, the INDUS-X Gurukul: a hybrid information series for U.S. and Indian defense start-ups was announced.
Industry and Academia Workshops:
FedTech, as well as IIT Hyderabad in partnership with Hacking4Allies, organized workshops for over 120 defense start-ups on best practices for navigating the U.S. and Indian defense establishments.
Investor Strategy Session:
The U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), in collaboration with the IndUS Tech Council, hosted an investor strategy session in New Delhi in November 2023.
Industrial Partnerships:
- A U.S.-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer announced two partnerships to support U.S.-India industrial collaboration on India’s future MQ-9B UAV program.
- General Atomics is also partnering with Bharat Forge to manufacture MQ-9 components and assemblies in India for use on all MQ-9B aircraft
- Liquid Robotics collaborated with Indian partners to develop capabilities of the Wave Glider Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) to enhance maritime security.
Must read articles
iDEX: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/idex#:~:text=Funding%20and%20Management&text=DIO%20formed%20by%20two%20Defence,providing%20high%2Dlevel%20policy%20guidance.
India-USA defense relation: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/india-us-defence-relations-27
India – USA defense Industry cooperation: https://iasgyan.in/ig-uploads/pdf/INDIA-USA_DEFENCE_INDUSTRY_COOPERATION_AND_A_BOOST_FOR_MAKE_IN_INDIA_compressed.pdf
Source:
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2054372#:~:text=Held%20on%209%2D10%20September,(USISPF)%20and%20Stanford%20University.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3900912/us-india-indus-x-initiative-convenes-in-silicon-valley-for-third-summit/
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PRACTICE QUESTION
Q. Discuss the significance of defense ties between India and USA with respect to the current geopolitical scenario. 150 words.
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