Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

Highlighting the significant potential for defence cooperation between India and the United States, the U.S.-India Business Council has launched a Homeland Security Executive Mission at INDESEC Expo 2010, a major defence industry exhibition in New Delhi.

The latest mission follows closely on the heels of nine aerospace and defence executive missions to India that aim to promote deeper strategic collaboration between the two countries, USIBC said in a statement.

The INDESEC Expo mission, held during September 6-8, comprised some of the U.S.’ top defence, security and cyber security companies, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Connectiva, HBI, Honeywell, IBM, IEM, Implant Sciences, ITT Defense International, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, Palantir, Pillsbury Winthrop, Raytheon, Steptoe and Johnson, United Technologies Fire and Security and The Cohen Group.

“Just like the 9-11 terrorist attacks in America galvanised the U.S private sector to develop cutting edge technologies in meeting the country’s emerging threats, we believe the same response from Indian industry is occurring after 26/11,” said Admiral James Loy, Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group and a former Deputy Secretary in the U.S Department of Homeland Security.

Admiral Loy added that deeper U.S-India counterterrorism and homeland security cooperation must also focus on developing rapid and coordinated response and recovery capability to deal with future events.

Counterterrorism and intelligence cooperation was an important theme in discussions held between Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the U.S-India Strategic Dialogue held in June this year.

Following these discussions, the two countries had recently signed the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative (CCI), to “enhance collaboration, information sharing and capacity building”.

Speaking about the exhibit in New Delhi Nik Khanna, Director for Aerospace and Defence at USIBC said, “U.S. industry’s participation in and support of India’s homeland security sector will not only provide India with the best equipment, but will also boost job creation in both countries through technology sharing, partnerships and high end manufacturing.”

Labels: homeland security exhibition, INDESEC Expo 2010