US Defence Secy receives Guard of Honour at Vigyan Bhawan; holds talks with Rajnath Singh

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III, who is on an official visit to India, was accorded the Guard of Honour at Vigyan Bhawan on Saturday after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received him at the venue.

Earlier in the day, Austin attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. After the ceremony, Austin delegation-level talks with his Indian counterpart Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. CDS General Bipin Rawat and the three Services Chiefs are also present at the meeting held at Vigyan Bhawan.

 National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Austin on Friday discussed areas of mutual interest, strategic partnership and cooperation on various aspects of security and defence.

"Great meeting with NSA Doval last night. The breadth of collaboration b/w our 2 nations reflects the significance of our major defence partnership as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region," Austin wrote in a tweet on Saturday adding that he was "looking forward to great meetings today."

US Defence Secy meets PM Modi

Austin arrived in Delhi on Friday in the first visit to India by a top official of the Biden administration. He also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed America's strong desire to further enhance the strategic partnership between the two countries for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

PM Modi outlined his vision for the strategic partnership between the two countries and emphasized the important role of bilateral defence cooperation in India-US ties.