The talks at the South Block are part of the third edition of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T Esper and their Indian counterparts, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: A US delegation led by US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper on Monday met Indian delegation led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi to discuss various issues. Also Read - India-US 2+2 Ministerial Meeting to Discuss China Threat: Mike Pompeo

US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster was seen greeting CDS General Bipin Rawat and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh with elbow bumps.

The talks at the South Block are part of the third edition of the 2+2 ministerial dialogue between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defence Mark T Esper and their Indian counterparts, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
A host of crucial bilateral, regional, and global issues — including China’s efforts to expand influence in the Indo-Pacific region as well as its aggressive behaviour in eastern Ladakh — will figure in the talks.

To further tighten the strategic partnership between the two countries, the last of the four military communication foundational agreements, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Cooperation (BECA), is expected to be signed with the US.

It largely pertains to geospatial intelligence and sharing information on maps and satellite images for defence.

The signing of BECA would allow India to use global geospatial maps of the US for accuracy of stand-off weapons like cruise and ballistic missiles.

Both the countries are also expected to sign the Marine Information Sharing Technical Arrangement.