Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri concluded a productive three-day visit to the United States from May 27 to 29, holding a series of high-level meetings aimed at deepening India-U.S. cooperation in defence, trade, and technology. The visit follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s February trip to Washington, where both nations launched the India-U.S. COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.
Accompanied by Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor, Misri engaged with senior officials across multiple U.S. departments, including State, Defence, Treasury, Commerce, and the National Security Council.
At a luncheon meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, both sides reaffirmed that Technology, Trade, and Talent would be central pillars of the India-U.S. strategic partnership going forward.
In discussions with Deputy Secretary of Defence Steve Feinberg and Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge Colby, the two sides emphasized a forward-looking defence relationship, focusing on joint military exercises, co-production and co-development of defence systems, enhanced interoperability, and frameworks for logistics and information-sharing.
Meeting with Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender, Misri explored ways to strengthen financial and economic ties, including cooperation in international financial institutions and coordination on upcoming FATF processes.
At the Department of Commerce, Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler and Misri reviewed progress on the India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement and explored further collaboration in critical and emerging technologies. They agreed to expedite the next round of the India-U.S. Strategic Trade Dialogue, also discussing streamlining ITAR and U.S. export control regulations.
The Indian delegation also held in-depth inter-agency discussions aligned with the COMPACT vision, covering defence, energy security, counter-terrorism, the TRUST initiative, and multilateral cooperation through forums like the Quad, I2U2, and IMEEC.
Additionally, Foreign Secretary Misri and DNSA Kapoor co-chaired a roundtable with U.S. industry representatives, aimed at accelerating collaboration in high-tech sectors. They also engaged with leading think tanks, exchanging views on the evolving contours of the India-U.S. strategic partnership.
The visit marked a significant step in further operationalizing the COMPACT framework, reinforcing the two countries’ commitment to a stronger, multidimensional partnership in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
