US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in the national capital on Thursday and he was welcomed at the airport by his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, reflecting the importance India has attached to the trip.
Austin is paying a two-day visit to New Delhi to attend the India-US '2+2' foreign and defence ministerial dialogue on Friday.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also be part of the American delegation at the talks.
The Indian side will be led by Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Singh and Jaishankar are also scheduled to have separate bilateral meetings with their American counterparts on the sidelines of the '2+2' dialogue that is expected to carry out a comprehensive review of fast-expanding India-US strategic ties.
A number of strategic, defence and technology issues are expected to be discussed during the 2+2 dialogue and the bilateral meeting.
Secretary Austin last visited India in June and had met with Singh.
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