Introduction

Pacific Forum’s recent engagement with India reflects a deliberate effort to move beyond textbook study and toward immersive, experience-based learning. As part of the Motwani Jadeja Fellowship research initiative, this project was designed not merely as an academic exercise, but as a structured exploration of India’s strategic, economic, and technological landscape through direct dialogue and on-the-ground observation.

By traveling to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi, the delegation sought to understand the country’s evolving role in the Indo-Pacific through conversations with those shaping it in real time—industry leaders driving innovation, think tank scholars influencing policy debates, and academics interpreting India’s domestic and geopolitical transformations.

In Mumbai, discussions with business leaders and policy analysts highlighted India’s expanding role as a financial and commercial hub, as well as the regulatory and structural reforms shaping its growth trajectory. Hyderabad offered insight into India’s emergence as a technology and innovation center, where interactions with entrepreneurs, researchers, and technology executives underscored the country’s ambitions in digital infrastructure, defense technology, and start-up ecosystems. In Delhi, meetings with leading think tanks and academic institutions provided critical perspectives on India’s foreign policy priorities, strategic autonomy, and its approach to regional security challenges.

Together, these engagements revealed the interconnected nature of India’s domestic development and its external strategy.

This report represents Pacific Forum’s broader effort to study regions not as abstract case studies, but as living systems best understood through direct engagement. Rather than relying solely on secondary literature or classroom analysis, the program emphasizes experiential learning—testing assumptions, refining research questions, and building networks through sustained, in-person dialogue. By embedding fellows in conversations across sectors and cities, Pacific Forum advances a model of regional study grounded in immersion, practical exposure, and policy-relevant inquiry.

Taken together, the papers produced under this initiative advance a coherent argument about the strategic logic underpinning US–India defense and technology cooperation. They demonstrate that defense collaboration is no longer confined to symbolic exercises or arms sales, but is steadily evolving toward interoperability, joint production, and institutionalized coordination that reflects a deepening alignment of interests. By situating these developments within broader regional security dynamics, the papers highlight how defense ties serve as both a deterrent framework and a stabilizing pillar in the Indo-Pacific.

At the same time, the research underscores that the long-term durability of the partnership will depend on technology cooperation—particularly in areas such as semiconductors, critical supply chains, and emerging technologies. By examining India’s domestic industrial ambitions alongside US strategic priorities, the papers argue that meaningful collaboration must align economic competitiveness with national security objectives.

Ultimately, the collection makes the case that defense and technology are not parallel tracks but mutually reinforcing domains, forming the backbone of a next-generation US–India partnership grounded in shared strategic purpose and co-development rather than dependency.

By Akhil Ramesh  

Director of India Program & Economic Statecraft Initiative, Pacific Forum

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF INDIA’S UNIFIED PAYMENTS INTERFACE

INDIA’S DEFENSE MODERNIZATION AND US-INDIA RELATIONS: A CRITICAL OVERVIEW

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

About the Authors

ANDREW GORDAN currently serves as a Junior Fellow with the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. He studies international relations with a focus on South Asia and his current research interests include Indian foreign policy, international order, and the intellectual history of IR. During the Motwani Jadeja U.S.-India fellowship, Andrew will pursue a research agenda centered on Indian technology diplomacy in the shifting global landscape. He graduated from Harvard College in 2024 with an AB in Government and was a recipient of the Boren and Fulbright-Nehru scholarships. As an undergraduate, Andrew held research positions at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Wilson Center, and the Davis Center.

TYLER LISSY holds a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Security Studies from Dickinson College, where he graduated summa cum laude and was selected as the 2025 Commencement Speaker. Tyler is an incoming M.A. candidate in Global Policy (Security and Foreign Policy concentration) at the University of Maine’s School of Policy and International Affairs. His fellowship research focuses on India’s defense modernization, strategic autonomy, and U.S.-India security cooperation, with broader interests in Indo-Pacific security dynamics and great-power competition. Tyler has held research and policy roles with the U.S. Army War College, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Diamond6 Leadership and Strategy, supporting projects on internal conflict, defense reform, and public policy.

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