Jaishankar Meets With The US Air Force Secretary. They Talk About Indo-US Defence Ties And World Strategy

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall on March 21. Officials from both countries talked about the current state of world strategy and where Indo-US defence cooperation could go in the future. “It was great to catch up with US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall,” the External Affairs Minister tweeted after the meeting. He also wrote that they talked about the global strategic situation and new ways for India and the US to work together on defence.

The discussion between the two groups is important because an Indian-American man has just been nominated to be the first-ever Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. The US officially confirmed Ravi Chaudhary’s position as the Air Force’s assistant secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment.

Ravi Chaudhary was elected to the job by a vote of 65 to 29. He is now one of the top civilian leaders at the Pentagon. US Senator Amy Klobuchar said in a statement that Dr. Ravi grew up in Minnesota as the son of immigrants and had always wanted to join the US Air Force. This was after it was announced that Chaudhary, who was born in Minneapolis, would be the top candidate.

She said that Dr. Chaudhary had spent more than 20 years of his professional life serving the public, from his time as a commander in the Air Force to his time at the Federal Aviation Administration. US Senator Klobuchar went on to say that she fought hard to get the Senate to approve his nomination because she is sure of his qualifications and that his experience is right for the important job he has been given. Klobuchar also said that, now that the Senate had cleared his name, she was excited to work with him and help the men and women of the US Air Force.

From 1993 to 2015, Chaudhary was an active-duty Air Force pilot. He flew several missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. After he retired, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration for five years as a top official in the Office of Commercial Space and the Regions and Center operations.

The statement says that President Obama put Ravi Chaudhary on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This is a big deal. The Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and the Environment is in charge of the Air Force’s operational readiness for sustainability. This includes the installations and basing plan as well as the quality of military housing.