US Defence Secretary Mark Esper is scheduled to visit India next week. The visit comes ahead of the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue, likely to be held in late October in New Delhi. Esper is likely to discuss Indo-Pacific security, bilateral defence ties and regional security situation during his visit.
He is also expected to take part in the Indo-US maritime exercise ‘Malabar 2020’. The Pentagon recently announced that the ‘Malabar 2020’ would include Japan as a permanent participant. The drill is expected to start in November.