India - United States Relations


Top US defence official Elbridge Colby is expected to visit India at the head of a US delegation towards the end of March to inject momentum into India-US defence relations after months of diplomatic tensions.

New Delhi and Washington will discuss speeding up pending defence acquisitions and consider reviving forums such as INDUS-X, which boosted ties between American and Indian defence companies, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named.

But defence will the main focus of the visit. According to the people cited above, both sides will be looking for a political direction to emerge from the meetings that will set the course for the bilateral defence partnership. While the US delegation is expected to push for greater military sales, India will bat for more co-production and local manufacturing of defence equipment. The India-US defence partnership has continued to progress despite broader tensions that built up in the relationship over the course of 2025.

“After the signing of the 10-year “Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership" last fall by Secretary Hegseth and Defence Minister Singh, a visit by Under Secretary Colby to India could signal the Pentagon’s deepening commitment to US-India defense collaboration. Policy engagements led by Colby could shape the agenda for how our militaries will exercise, plan, and operate together, how our industries will innovate and co-produce capabilities, and how this partnership will enhance deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” says Sameer Lalwani, Research Affiliate with the MIT Security Studies Program.

According to news reports, India will also consider procuring six additional P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft manufactured by US defence giant Boeing. The two sides will likely push forward efforts by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and America’s General Electric for the co-production of GE F414 jet engines in India.

Exploring collaborations in mutually beneficial defence technologies lsuch as UAV and anti-UAV systems will also likely be on the agenda, the people said. Key defence forums lsuch as INDUS-X -- established in 2023 to increase links between US and Indian defence firms -- have been largely dormant since the Trump administration took office in January 2025.

The forum’s annual summit did not take place in 2025 and HT learns that there were no firm plans yet for a summit in 2026. The Pentagon’s Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian MoD’s Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) have not publicly announced new joint challenges for defence startups in 2025. Reviving INDUS-X and platforms similar to it will also feature in bilateral talks.
 
Ministry of Petroleum should take strict against against hoarding done by the gas agencies.
If only it were that easy. People are hiding and hoarding in homes yaar. Dealers and local politicians are definitely in complicit. Some police official might be too.

Unless you tag each cylinder with a tracker, it's really tough to weed them out.

I was thinking about what if GOI comes up with an incentive scheme. Free cylinder +booking ( if in need) for everyone who gives information of hoarders. While still with loopholes, it will definitely create fear among sellers.
 
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Received a call from President Trump and had a useful exchange of views on the situation in West Asia. India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest. Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability.
 
If only it were that easy. People are hiding and hoarding in homes yaar. Dealers and local politicians are definitely in complicit. Some police official might be too.

Unless you tag each cylinder with a tracker, it's really tough to weed them out.

Some 22 years ago there was massive strike by these oil agencies, refineries and some petrol pumps, you know what Ministry of Petroleum did, Murli Deora was the Minister, they called the army and paramility, picked up the GM, DM, Chair men and some from oil mafia and took them them to isolated place and warned them next time their families will be along with them here.

Within 24 hours strike was called off. IB had informed the ministry of petroleum of all the warebouts.
 
Some 22 years ago there was massive strike by these oil agencies, refineries and some petrol pumps, you know what Ministry of Petroleum did, Murli Deora was the Minister, they called the army and paramility, picked up the GM, DM, Chair men and some from oil mafia and took them them to isolated place and warned them next time their families will be along with them here.

Within 24 hours strike was called off. IB had informed the ministry of petroleum of all the warebouts.
Well we are not dealing with the strikes are we?

We are dealing with a common people who aren't even on the radar of higher ups usually.

It would be different if GM,DM etc etc were aware of everything personally and could be threatened.. but what about when a top politican utilised a massive ecosystem to fuel panic at any cost.. and the tendency of a human society is activated. There's not necessarily a DM, GM managing things.. and yes the bigger fishes that are in usual radar like local gangs, police etc are being caught. Otherwise the situation would be way way worse with the kind of effort coming from RG.

But this is not a strike with open public figures to point out. It doesn't get called off and situation is solved with employee coming back to work.
SHould i explain more in depth the difference between the scale and nature of issue, with examples?
 
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Well we are not dealing with the strikes are we?

We are dealing with a common people who aren't even on the radar of higher ups usually.

It would be different if GM,DM etc etc were aware of everything personally and could be threatened.. but what about when a top politican utilised a massive ecosystem to fuel panic at any cost.. and the tendency of a human society is activated. There's not necessarily a DM, GM managing things.. and yes the bigger fishes that are in usual radar like local gangs, police etc are being caught. Otherwise the situation would be way way worse with the kind of effort coming from RG.

But this is not a strike with open public figures to point out. It doesn't get called off and situation is solved with employee coming back to work.
SHould i explain more in depth the difference between the scale and nature of issue, with examples?

You are not dealing with common people, you are dealing with hoarding mafia. This is not new. In odissa is used to happen a lot due to cyclones but then government learnt it, and people learnt it too and implemented checks. Mismanagement of Indian gov can't be misspelled with common people hoarding and causing v blockade in supply chain.
 
You are not dealing with common people, you are dealing with hoarding mafia. This is not new. In odissa is used to happen a lot due to cyclones but then government learnt it, and people learnt it too and implemented checks. Mismanagement of Indian gov can't be misspelled with common people hoarding and causing v blockade in supply chain.

"Hoarding" Mafia.. you're describing it as if theres a specific group that manages it all. Under one management. And all you've to do is pick up the GM, DM of that group and threaten their "family" or whatever interests they have ( ironically hoarding would be their interest) .

And odissa isnt a special case for hoarders.. whole India suffers. From onions, lemons to gold. There's hoarders everywhere. And it's all about profit for the criminals. Due to Nafed, manipulation of onion became less worthy. LPG doesn't have that issue. There's already way more checks and balances than before with digitisation, tracking the production, supply etc. but the sheer value ( political, monetary) outweighs the risk for those who want to. And it's not like govt haven't been catching culprits.. how do you think they are being caught? And that's not even a fraction of it. Even if catch a dealer because one suspects them of forgery.. that's not the immidiate concern for both police and chor. The missing products are. As long as they remain highly distributed to criminals at the level of common people looking to make quick bucks, shortage will remain. Politicians will get what they want. And the merchant too.
This reminds me of the distribution structure of weed. Just that now weed has become an essential. ( Before you literally compare.. the profit, risk, checks and surveillance for LPG is also higher than weed).

So, tell me how would you implement your IB, Paramilitary stuff here and who would be the DM here?

So you still not understand the difference between a strike and a induced shortage? I can explain if you want. Do you?
 
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No news on the agreement for local mfg of the GE F-414 TF till date. Earlier HAL commented it'd be done by the end of the last calendar year only to be shifted to the end of the FY 25-26.

Well here we are , nearing the end of FY - 25-26.

Reminds me of the golden year of defence procurement that was to be - 2022. Was also the year the great astrologer Avi Raina predicted Paxtan would break apart. @Sathya
 
No news on the agreement for local mfg of the GE F-414 TF till date. Earlier HAL commented it'd be done by the end of the last calendar year only to be shifted to the end of the FY 25-26.

Well here we are , nearing the end of FY - 25-26.

Reminds me of the golden year of defence procurement that was to be - 2022. Was also the year the great astrologer Avi Raina predicted Paxtan would break apart. @Sathya

As per Hellfire ,there is no Mk2 if F414 is not signed,
we even delayed sanction of Mk2 prototype for the signature of MoU.

I think someone is holding up until prototype flies , then only we are going to sign.

If USA still delays, it ll be like Amca , first batch with off the shelf F414, second batch with M88 T rex.