Over the past decade, U.S.-India defense ties have expanded substantially, including in military sales, which have grown from virtually zero to more than $8 billion today. Despite this progress in bilateral defense trade, there have been some setbacks as the two countries continue to learn about each other. At this important juncture, CSIS determined the time was right to examine the progress that has been made—and the challenges that currently exist—in furthering U.S.-India defense trade.
In September 2011, CSIS announced the launch of the new U.S.-India Defense and Security Cooperation Project. Dr. S. Amer Latif, the project’s director, is a visiting fellow with the Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies and previously served as the director for South Asian affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2007 to 2011. The project’s first report, entitled U.S.-India Defense Trade: Opportunities for Deepening the Partnership, analyzes the current state of bilateral defense trade and provides a series of recommendations for both the United States and India in order to help them “unlock the full potential” of their defense partnership.
