U.S.-India Defense Trade: Opportunities for Deepening the Partnership

U.S.-India defense trade has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade with American companies assuming a larger share of the Indian defense market.  The sales of defense platforms such as the Lockheed Martin C-130J and the Boeing P-8I reconnaisance aircraft are emblematic of this trend.  However, while the defense trade relationship has significantly improved, there are still challenges to achieving a more normal and routine defense trade relationship.

Along with this month's Insight, we have also included a new CSIS report entitled

U.S.-India Defense Trade:  Opportunities for Deepening the Partnership

.  In it, Dr. Amer Latif, Visiting CSIS Fellow and the project director, has outlined the key challenges to closer defense trade ties and some forty-one recommendations for how we might improve our collaboration in this important area.  With the recent appointment by Secretary Leon Panetta of Deputy Secretary Ashton Carter as the Department's point man on deepening defense trade, it is our hope that this report will help both sides in their quest to deepen this important dimension of our bilateral defense relationship.