India-US ramp up defence and civil nuclear cooperation; supply chains, AI in focus

The United States is expanding its defence partnership with India, alongside deeper cooperation in civil nuclear energy, trusted artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies, US Assistant Secretary of State S Paul Kapur has said.Speaking at a roundtable on India at the Hoover Institution, Kapur said the Trump administration's engagement with India was helping strengthen critical supply chains while creating jobs in the United States."Under this (Trump) Administration, US engagement with India is creating jobs at home and strengthening supply chains that are critical to both the United States and the region," Kapur said in a post on X."We are expanding defence and civil nuclear cooperation, including the adoption of trusted AI and other emerging technologies powering the economy," he added.The remarks come as New Delhi and Washington continue to deepen defence ties. Last year, the two countries signed a framework to strengthen defence cooperation and interoperability across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.India has significantly expanded defence procurements from the US over the past two decades, acquiring platforms including Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and M777 ultra-light howitzers.Civil nuclear cooperation is also gathering pace. Earlier this year, a delegation of senior executives from leading US nuclear companies visited India to explore investment opportunities after New Delhi amended its nuclear liability framework through the SHANTI Act, a move aimed at facilitating greater private sector participation in the country's civil nuclear programme.