INDUS-X Summit at Stanford to Strengthen U.S.-India Ties; Expand Strategic Technology Partnership

Third India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) summit themed ‘Harnessing Investment Opportunities to Enhance Cross-Border Defense Innovation Ecosystems’ was held Sept. 9-10 at Stanford University. INDUS-X  was started in June 2023 to expand the strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between Indian and U.S. governments, businesses, accelerators/incubators, investors, and academia. Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) lead INDUS-X for the Indian Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, respectively.

Defense policy makers, government officials, startup founders, venture capitalists, academics, accelerators, and industry professionals from the two nations attended the two-day summit co-hosted by US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. The conference focused on the critical role of private capital in advancing the defense innovation sector from Washington and New Delhi. 

“We have a challenge in the Indo-Pacific from China, but that is not the most important part of the India-U.S. partnership story,” said Dr. Condoleeza Rice, Former U.S. Secretary of State and current Director at Stanford’s Hoover Center. She added that leveraging the tremendous possibilities in innovation and technology are important. “Everybody respects the Indian technology and university systems. Silicon Valley benefits so much from the talent that India has brought to our shores,” she said. “This is the most important relationship-not just for world security but for world prosperity.”  She opined that both nations have a lot to learn from each other and went on to complement India’s biometric program.

On a query of repercussions of the visit to Russia by PM Modi, Rice added, “We in the U.S. have to recognize that other nations wish to have strategic autonomy. I have no problem with that, and our deep interests will lead to stronger partnerships. A visit by PM Modi to Russia does not change the fact that ultimately India would not want to be dependent on Russian junk that they call military equipment that is badly failing in Ukraine. PM Modi understands that the limitless strategic relationship between Xi Jinping and Putin is a challenge to India’s interests. I do not worry about India-Russia ties. There is history in that relationship.” 

Rice acknowledged that the U.S. has been slow to fully leverage the opportunities with India. She mentioned China as a major player in robotics and battery technology. “China’s our real technology challenge.I’m delighted to have another democracy on our side. We have to keep running as fast as we can and we can run faster together, than alone.” 

She opined that except for the UK, Europe has become more of a regulator than an innovator. She reiterated the need for updates to US immigration policies and more of a bottom up approach than a top-down one to accelerate innovation.

Replying to a question about how the upcoming political changes in the US might impact the Indo-U.S. relations, Rice said, “It’s bi partisan. It has survived several changes of US administration. It is enduring.”

Bringing the private sector perspective to the summit, John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus of Cisco and current Chairman of USISPF, added, “The progress of our defense relationship is dramatic. The Indo-U.S. relationship will define the pace of innovation for the world. Since the heart of innovation is tech driven, it allows us to move at speeds not seen earlier.”

Chambers complemented the speed of progress between US and Indian public and private sector units. “We have to dream bigger with the help of our educational institutions like IITs, Stanford, other universities and our industries.” 

Chambers iterated that innovation works when people are empowered and diversity in the populace allows progress at great speeds, but needs trust. “We have to do what is right for society. If we ignore that, we will get regulated and will deserve that,” he cautioned.

In support of both countries’ shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) representatives have participated in talks and exercises to explore opportunities to co-produce advanced military capabilities, create new funding streams for defense technology development, promote resilient defense supply chains, and enhance U.S.-India military interoperability. 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)  for a shared commitment to expand cooperation on defense innovation between US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Indian Ministry of Defense’s Defense Innovation Organization (DIO) to expand their respective militaries’ access for cutting-edge technologies through non-traditional processes was signed at the summit. 

The newly launched INDUS-X web site is a resource for investors and startups to learn about the program, its goals, and partnership opportunities. It features a directory of participating companies and upcoming events.

At the summit, U.S. and Indian companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations members also discussed new technology testing and experimentation opportunities available to companies through INDUSWERX, a testing consortium led by private-sector organizations. The consortium continues exploring ways for defense and dual-use companies in the INDUS-X network to test, refine, and integrate their technologies at premier testing ranges across U.S. and India.

INDUS-X Initiative-Key Achievements

The DoD released an INDUS-X Fact Sheet in February 2024 to outline accomplishments and near-term priorities under the INDUS-X initiative.  Some of the key takeaways include the US and India seeking to deter China and preserve regional stability; deepen strategic ties, assessments of mutual threat, evolution of institutions and expansion of bilateral defense technology investment, research and industrial partnerships. 

Some key achievements included in the fact sheet are selection of winners for the first round of INDUS-X joint challenges to identify commercial technology solutions that address warfighter challenges; inception of INDUS-X Gurukul, or Education Series– a hybrid information series for US and Indian defense start-ups; workshops hosted by US and Indian universities to exchange best practices on technology transfer and licensing, the role of the government as a customer, and advancing research in emerging defense technology domains, including space and an investor strategy session to harness joint innovation funding for U.S. and Indian companies that produce critical defense technologies.