Tech Team-Up: Will U.S., India Pact Boost Defense Innovation?

• Author: Luckenbaugh, Josh

Driven in part by the need to pull powerful countries from the orbit of its peer competitors, the United States has entered into a new strategic technology partnership with India, but regulatory hurdles could limit the near-term impact of the agreement.

Announced on June 21 during a visit to the United States by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the India-US. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem, or INDUS-X, is meant to "vitalize our defense industrial cooperation and unlock new innovations in technology and manufacturing... and help equip both countries' armed forces with the capabilities they need to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific," according to a Defense Department release.

An INDUS-X collaboration agenda released the same day outlined several "prospective actions" for stakeholders in the initiative to pursue, including mentor-protege partnerships and an accelerator program for start-ups; joint challenges "that leverage common dual-use cases for both countries" and an Indo-U.S. Joint Innovation Fund that will seek private investment for defense tech.

"With support from our governments, closer cooperation between our private sectors and research institutions will catalyze innovation within our defense industrial bases," a Defense Department fact sheet on INDUS-X said. "Through INDUS-X, we will strengthen ties between our defense industrial ecosystems to make them more innovative, accessible and resilient."

The Defense Department two weeks before the announcement released a "Roadmap for U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation," which identified several "priority areas with [the] most cooperation potential," including: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; undersea domain awareness; air combat and support, including aero engines; munitions systems; and mobility.

Other potential technology areas for INDUS-X could also include space, manned and unmanned aircraft, artificial intelligence, quantum sciences and communications, as well as "other critical and emerging technologies," Rajiv Kumar Narang, senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, said in an email. In particular, the Defense Department collaboration with Indian unmanned aircraft systems and space technology start-ups indicate an expanding scope of innovation collaborations, he added.

Kenneth Juster, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former ambassador to India, said in an interview that while there is a...