4Photo© dnaindia.comIn Biden-era first, US defence secretary set to visit India this month
NEW DELHI: In the first such top-level visit after the Biden administration took charge in Washington in January, US secretary of defence Lloyd J Austin will be in India later this month to discuss measures to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation.
Austin’s visit to India, as part of his tour of a few Indo-Pacific countries, will take place even as a summit meeting of leaders of the “Quad” countries of India, the US, Australia and Japan is also slated for this month.
The Quad countries had taken part in the 24thedition of the top-notch 'Malabar’ naval exercise in November, with the four stressing their commitment to "support a free, open, inclusive Indo-Pacific as well as a rules-based international order" in a strong strategic signal to China.