24th India-US JTG Plenary For Cooperation in Defence Science & Technologies

DRDO hosted the 24th Indo-US Joint Technical Group Plenary Meeting in New Delhi on 3-4 February 2026. The meeting was co-chaired by director general (Production Coordination & Services Interaction), DRDO Dr Chandrika Kaushik and assistant secretary of war for critical technologies, Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering Michael Francis Dodd.

The plenary was conducted in line with the vision and policy guidance of the framework for India-US Major Defence Partnership signed by defence minister Rajnath Singh and the US secretary of war Pete Hegseth in October 2025. The delegations reviewed the ongoing cooperation in defence science & technology, discussed associated challenges, and examined proposals to further strengthen collaboration in critical & emerging defence technologies to meet the evolving requirements.

The discussions also focused on enhancing the participation of university-affiliated research centres, defence laboratories, and industries in cooperative research & development initiatives. Additionally, the meeting explored potential collaboration between the DRDO, and the Defence Innovation Unit under the Innovation Bridge framework & concluded with the signing of a project agreement.

The meeting involved participation of senior officials, scientists, and technocrats representing institutions and laboratories under the US department of war and the department of state, along with DRDO scientists and officials from India’s Tri-Services, ministry of defence, ministry of external affairs, and the national security council secretariat.