India-US Forge Future: Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance

India and the US have launched the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) to boost defence cooperation, focusing on the Indo-Pacific region. The initiative aims to enhance partnerships and production of autonomous systems, including underwater domain awareness, featuring collaborations between Anduril Industries, Mahindra Group, L3 Harris, and Bharat Electronics.

India and the United States have introduced the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), a groundbreaking initiative set to enhance defence collaboration specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. Officially announced following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, ASIA seeks to expand industry partnerships and production of autonomous technologies, with a particular focus on underwater domain awareness.

A notable collaboration involves Anduril Industries partnering with India's Mahindra Group to develop cutting-edge autonomous technologies. Meanwhile, L3 Harris and Bharat Electronics are teaming up to co-develop active towed array systems. This initiative builds upon the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation, demonstrating the growing importance of autonomous systems in defence strategies.

The two nations also discussed the expansion of military cooperation across air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace. Emphasis was placed on improved training, exercises, and operations incorporating modern technologies. Additionally, the upcoming 'Tiger Triumph' tri-service exercise in India is anticipated to exceed previous scales and complexities, showcasing the depth of their military collaboration.

Commitments were made to enhance overseas deployment support through improved logistics and intelligence sharing. These efforts fall under the 'US-India COMPACT for the 21st Century,' an initiative aimed at bolstering military partnership, commerce, and technology exchanges between the nations.

(With inputs from agencies.)