Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and Italian Secretary General of Defence & National Armament Director Lt Gen Luciano Portolano co-chaired the 10th India-Italy Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting in New Delhi on March 13, 2024, according to a statement of the Press Information Bureau.
Both sides discussed a wide range of defence industrial and military cooperation issues, including the integration of Indian vendors in the global supply chains of Italian defence companies.
They also exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific and the security situations. The focus of the meeting was on the enhancement of defence industrial cooperation. The two countries had signed an agreement on defence cooperation in October 2023.This agreement provides the overarching framework to deepen the defence relationship between the two countries. With the agreement providing the overarching framework to deepen the bilateral defence relationship, both sides discussed ways and means to bring the defence companies of both the countries together for joint projects, including for co-production in India.
The Defence Secretary suggested integrating Indian vendors in the global supply chains of Italian defence companies. This would improve the supply chain resilience of both countries.