Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper met with Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh of India to reaffirm our shared commitment to democratic values and a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Noting the importance both countries place on engagement with Southeast Asia, Secretary Esper highlighted opportunities to increase U.S.-India collaboration across the region and reinforce our commitment to a rules-based security architecture with ASEAN at its core. The Secretary also welcomed the deepening security ties between India and the United States—including the first-ever US-India tri-service exercise last week, TIGER TRIUMPH —and stated he looked forward to seeing Minister Singh for the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial at the State Department in Washington later this year.