Stanford, California, Wednesday, September 11, 2024
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), in collaboration with Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation and the Hoover Institution, hosted the third edition of the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit.
This event was held across two days, September 9-10, 2024, at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, bringing together leading defense policymakers from Washington and New Delhi with a central focus on strengthening defense and advanced technology innovative partnerships.
The third summit was entitled “Harnessing Investment Opportunities to Enhance Cross-Border Defense Innovation Ecosystems” and touched on the critical role of private capital in advancing the defense innovation sector.
The opening day was attended by close to 300 attendees and Dr. Mukesh Aghi, President and CEO of USISPF declared the third edition of INDUS-X open. Dr. Aghi’s remarks were followed by comments from Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, the Consul General of India in San Francisco, Ambassador David Mulford, the former U.S. envoy to India and a current distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Doug Beck, Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
The inaugural session touched on deeper U.S.-India collaboration in a geopolitically uncertain world. Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institution said “The U.S.-India relationship is not just bipartisan, it is enduring. Whoever occupies the White House in January 2025, will realize, that this is the most important relationship. There is so much potential for cooperation between the United States and India in defense, interoperability, and technology partnerships. There is a lot of work we can do on the defense capability side.”
Sharing the dais with Secretary Rice, John Chambers, Chairman of USISPF, echoed her optimism and belief in the relationship and said “I’ve been the biggest bull on India for decades. You can see the opportunity of two countries who think alike and the creativity and innovation coming together. I think it will not just be the defining relationship for the next century, I think it will be one that will define the pace of innovation for the world, be inclusive in that innovation, and how the relationship could change the standard of living for every person in India and for every person in the U.S.”
Kurt M. Campbell, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, in a recorded statement, said “Extending our partnership with India is one of the most strategically important efforts we have taken in the Biden-Harris administration.” Deputy Secretary Campbell pointed to the success of Prime Minister Modi’s successful state visit in 2023 and said “from the stars to the sea, no corner of human enterprise is untouched by the cutting-edge work we are doing together. Successive administrations, in Washington and New Delhi, have invested time and political capital to bring this partnership to greater and greater heights. But in the last year, I would like to say, our partnership has reached “escape velocity. Today our countries are more closely aligned than ever before.”
The event brought together American and Indian leaders in defense innovation, including startups, venture capitalists, academia, accelerators, and industry professionals, as conversations and discussions touched on co-production, technology transfer, joint innovations, fortifying defenses, and more investment opportunities in each other’s markets.
General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander of the United States Space Command spoke about deeper U.S.-India collaboration in the space sector. General Whiting added “At U.S. Space Command, we like to say that space is a team sport. Given the vastness of space and its criticality to societies, no one country, no one command, service, department, agency or company can achieve what needs to be done in space by itself. That is why we employ a joint, combined, partnered approach to space operations. Our relationship with India is a key component of this approach. Since 2019, we have signed a space data-sharing agreement with the government of India, focused on the safety of space flight and space domain awareness services and information. We have also signed agreements with three India-based commercial companies.” General Whiting highlighted how U.S.-India cooperation under the initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), has brought about closer space cooperation between respective space agencies in NASA, and ISRO and called to build up on the existing space cooperation.
The INDUS-X initiative is spearheaded by the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) from the Indian Ministry of Defence, and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) from the U.S. Department of Defense. At the summit, IDEX and DIU signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), along with the release of the “INDUS-X Impact Report — A Year of Breakthroughs” authored by Vikram Singh and Sameer Lalwani from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
The day ended with the book launch of “Unit X”, authored by Raj Shah, Managing Partner of Shield Capital and former director of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.
Adding to the program on Day One was the INDUS-X Tech Expo, which featured 25 defense and aerospace startups from both countries, who showcased their cutting-edge technologies and innovations and presented them to investors, VCs, and officials.
The consensus from policymakers and industry leaders was that the INDUS-X summit and framework were vital in creating robust networks across startups, industry, academia, and governments, accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies, and enhancing the defense capabilities of both nations.
Day One of the summit featured keynote addresses, and panel discussions with defense policy leaders from both the private and the public sectors touching on themes like strengthening defense and advanced technology partnerships, funding defense innovation, and resilient supply chains.
Day Two featured closed-door discussions between government, industry, and academia, which began with a Senior Leaders Forum focused on enhancing U.S.-India defense and industrial collaboration. Day two sessions facilitated an open discussion where industry stakeholders, government, and academia provided feedback on INDUS-X initiatives and proposed new concepts.
The third INDUS-X summit has set the stage and raised the platform for further discourse, policy discussions, and agreements to broaden the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership across defense and technology.
About the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF):
The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is committed to creating the most powerful partnership between the United States and India. As the only independent not-for-profit institution dedicated to strengthening the U.S.-India partnership in Washington, D.C., and in New Delhi, USISPF is the trusted partner for businesses, non-profit organizations, the diaspora, and the governments of India and the United States.
For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
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Akshobh Giridharadas
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