William Blair leads the delegation.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has sent its Defense Executive Mission to the 2014 DEFEXPO, the 14th such mission the organization has sent to the defense and military exposition that’s taking place in New Delhi.
The Executive Mission is led by William Blair, the Asia President of Raytheon International Inc., who is also a special military advisor and former Commander, U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, Brig. Gen. (Retd.) Chris Tucker, the vice-president of Exelis Inc. There will be a total of more than 20 senior executives on the Mission to DEFEXPO 2014, which runs from February 6-9, making the USIBC delegation the largest at the exposition.
“USIBC’s 14th Defense Executive Mission to DEFEXPO is about looking forward – and the future is even brighter, full of the possibility of partnership,” said Ron Somers, President of USIBC. “Our respective armed forces will one day soon be using equipment that has been jointly designed, developed, and produced in both the United States and India. This speaks volumes about our partnership and that is why we are here today.”
In addition to the USIBC envoy, representatives of some of the biggest US industrial defense titans will be present at DEFEXPO. Representatives of companies such as Bell Helicopter, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Marten, General Electric, Honeywell, and L-3 Communications will all be in New Delhi for the exposition, among other corporations.
The US-based companies will be showing off their latest developments in land, naval, and air weaponry, including naval guns, thermal imaging technologies, and howitzer missiles, which India recently bought a large consignment of from the US.
The 2014 DEFEXPO is being hosted and organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). It is also co-sponsored by the Indian government’s Ministry of Defense, and is one of the biggest military events in India of the entire year.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com