US plans to collaborate with India to enhance military AI technology

Asia-Pacific, News, US April 17, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The United States and India have agreed to engage in new talks focusing to promote the collaboration on artificial intelligence to strengthen the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with their Indian counterparts, the Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Washington this week to discuss the ongoing situation of Russia-Ukraine and matters related to the regional security of Indo-Pacific region.

U.S. President Joe Biden also spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video link during the two-plus-two ministerial meeting. The two countries announced to deepen their relationship especially through signing defense agreements.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the U.S. signed an agreement with India on Space Situational Awareness that would allow Indian Defense Space Agency and the U.S. Space command to share information with each other.

“The United States and India signed a Space Situational Awareness arrangement, which lays the groundwork for more advanced cooperation in space,” the U.S. Department of Defense statement read. “They also agreed to launch an inaugural Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue, while expanding joint cyber training and exercises,” the statement added.

The Defense Artificial Intelligence Dialogue between India and U.S. is seen by many analysts as a significant event. The First Director of the Pentagon’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center Jack Shanahan described the prospective talks as a ‘logical extension’ for the U.S.-India Artificial Intelligence Initiative.

On April 12, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that Defense Secretary Austin and India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh are working together to devise plans of collaboration not only on AI but also for other advanced technologies such as 5G.

*^{U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) with India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh during ceremonial reception in New Delhi, India. (Image Credit: Reuters)}*

The U.S. Department of Defense has for years recognized AI technology as one of the main game-changing technologies of the future. The Department of Defense has been running several programs focusing on the enhancement of AI technologies. As of April 2021, at least 685 different defense programs were running with the main focus on AI technologies.

Indian Minister of Defense on the other hand has also been working to develop AI-based tools to improve military decision making, situational awareness, and security.

China and Russia have been investing significantly in Artificial Intelligence defense strategy and the two countries have also been collaborating with each other on this front. In the year 2021, the U.S. congress report on Chinese military power advised the country for an increased focus on the areas of big data management, cloud computing, and automation by pursuing the policy of ‘inteligentized warfare’ amid China’s increasing focus on AI technologies for military purposes.

India also sees China as its main rival in the region. The animosity between China and India has increased since the scuffle between both countries resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers in June 2020. A defense collaboration between U.S. and India would have a far-reaching effect on the regional security of the Indo-Pacific region.