Embassy Archives What's New/Press Releases

Press Release

The Indo-US defence scientific cooperation is emerging as a major pillar of strategic partnership between the world’s largest democracies. Committed to the ideals of freedom and democratic values, both nations seek to further advance their shared security interests. As part of this exercise, an Indo-US Joint Workshop on “Medical and Chem Bio-defence” is being partnered by the US Department of Defense and the Indian Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).

The Workshop, organized by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi (a Life Sciences Cluster laboratory of DRDO), is being held from 31st January to 2nd February 2017, and is focused on medical, chemical and biological defense strategies. The scope of the workshop is to share current research and seek future cooperation in areas of combat casualty care, neurocognitive assessment, military operational environment, detection & diagnostics for chemical and biological defence, medical countermeasures, radiation countermeasures as well as individual and collective protection/ decontamination. The workshop seeks to identify potentially strategic areas of mutual interest which would culminate into fruitful scientific collaboration and help in synergizing the strength of both nations. 

The workshop is being actively attended by a delegation of 27 members from the US DoD. It is headed by Dr Patrick Mason (SES), Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Indian delegation, constituting about 25 members from the DRDO Life Sciences Cluster laboratories, is headed by Dr A K Singh, Director INMAS, and is being inaugurated by Dr Shashi Bala Singh, Director General (Life Sciences), DRDO. Directorate of International Cooperation, DRDO with support from Embassy of India at Washington DC, is also coordinating the exercise. The participants, who are experts in their respective fields, are meeting to share their knowledge and expertise in order to enhance current and future preparedness for war challenges in these critical and unconventional areas.

This workshop will prove a significant milestone in furthering the bilateral relationship of USA with India, and will give impetus to future scientific collaboration in the field of medical, chemical and biological defence. With the rising threat perception at global level, both countries will find this strategic partnership of great use in extending the desired protection to their armed forces and civilian populations.