India must build defence systems interoperable with security partners: US envoy

The US said Tuesday India must move towards defence systems that are interoperable with those deployed by its security partners. "It is critical that India moves toward systems, not just weapons, that are effective, agile, and resilient," US Ambassador Kenneth Juster told reporters ahead of a five-day DefExpo which begins here on Wednesday.

"We believe that India must ultimately move toward systems that are interoperable with the equipment and networks of its security partners," he said. The Ambassador said the potential for industry partnership between India and the US on state-of-the-art defence is "enormous".

He said along the pathway to a deeper industry-to-industry relationship "there are, of course, barriers that we must overcome". "It is our goal to identify obstacles to enhancing industry-to-industry cooperation and formulate solutions in concert with the government of India as well as the US and Indian industry, so that we can build a closer defence relationship," he said.