Context:
In the first official visit from the US since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected for a third term, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Delhi.
Relevance:
GS II: International Relations
Dimensions of the Article:
- News Summary
- What is the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)?
- National Security Council (NSC) of India
News Summary
- Bilateral Talks:
- India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, held a bilateral meeting with the US’ National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in New Delhi.
- Agreed Areas of Cooperation:
- They agreed to enhance cooperation in various domains including Defence technology, Space, Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing, and critical minerals.
- Commitments:
- Both sides committed to taking concrete steps in the upcoming months to overcome long-standing obstacles in bilateral strategic trade, technology, and industrial cooperation, including commercial and civil space sectors.
- iCET Meeting:
- They co-chaired the second meeting of the India-U.S. initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
What is the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)?
- Framework:
- The iCET is a framework agreed upon by India and the U.S. to foster cooperation in critical and emerging technologies.
- Technologies:
- The initiative focuses on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, and wireless telecommunication.
- Announcement:
- Prime Minister Modi and President Biden announced the framework during the Quad meeting in Tokyo in May 2022.
- Launch:
- It was officially launched in 2023 to bolster strategic partnership and promote technology and defence cooperation between the two nations.
Focus Areas of iCET
- Primary Goal:
- The iCET aims to establish New Delhi and Washington D.C. as “trusted technology partners” to develop supply chains and support the co-production and co-development of technologies.
- Key Focus Areas:
- Research Partnership: Establishing a research agency partnership to collaborate on Artificial Intelligence.
- Defence Cooperation: Creating a new defence industrial cooperation roadmap to speed up technological collaboration for joint development and production.
- Standards Development: Developing common standards in Artificial Intelligence.
- Defence Technological Cooperation: Formulating a roadmap to enhance defence technological cooperation and an ‘innovation bridge’ to connect defence startups.
- Semiconductor Ecosystem: Supporting the development of a semiconductor ecosystem.
- Human Space Flight: Strengthening cooperation on human space flight.
- 5G and 6G Development: Advancing cooperation on the development of 5G and 6G technologies.
- OpenRAN Technology: Adopting OpenRAN network technology in India.
National Security Council (NSC) of India
- Primary Role:
- The NSC is the main advisory body to the Prime Minister on national security and strategic interests.
- Establishment:
- The council was established in 1998 by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with Brajesh Mishra as the first National Security Advisor (NSA).
- Composition of the NSC:
- Head: Prime Minister
- Oversees all aspects of national security and strategic policy.
- National Security Advisor:
- Acts as the primary advisor to the Prime Minister on national security matters.
- Coordinates with various ministries, agencies, and departments involved in national security.
- Members:
- National Security Advisor (NSA)
- Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
- Deputy National Security Advisors
- Union Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home, Finance
- Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog
- Head: Prime Minister
- Functions of the NSC:
- Policy Formulation and Coordination
- Intelligence Assessment
- Strategic Planning
- Crisis Management
- International Security Cooperation
- Historical Note:
- Before the formation of the NSC, these functions were managed by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.
-Source: Indian Express
