NEW DELHI, 20 March, 2021 (TON): PM Modi met the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussing strategic partnership between the two sides.

"Pleasure to meet U.S. @SecDef Lloyd Austin today. Conveyed my best wishes to @POTUS @JoeBiden. India and U.S. are committed to our strategic partnership that is a force for global good," PM Modi tweeted after the meeting on Friday.

According to the U.S. embassy, Austin also met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Austin said in a tweet, “Thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region."

Outlining Austin's agenda in India, Acting Assistant Defense Secretary for Indo-Pacific, David F. Helvey, said that he will "discuss to implement the major defense partnership that we have with India, including through enhanced information sharing, regional security cooperation, defense trade, and cooperation in new domains."

Reports said, he is scheduled to meet Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and the delegations from the two countries are to hold discussions during his visit.

In addition to the present mutual defense cooperation between India and the U.S., the U.S. designated India as a major defense partner by the U.S. in 2016 allowing it access to some defense hi-tech that would normally be available only to allies.