US official lauds TS' tech, defence sector

Hyderabad: US deputy assistant secretary of defence for South and Southeast Asia, Lindsey W. Ford, visited the Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerospace Limited facility here on Friday. She also attended a roundtable at T-Hub, the Telangana start-up incubator, which has tech entrepreneurs from sectors as diverse as aerospace, healthcare, automotive, and software.

"Tata Advanced Systems’ partnerships with US firms such as Lockheed, Boeing, and GE — along with the presence of other US firms like Honeywell Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney — have created a thriving environment for the aerospace and defense industry in Telangana," said US Consul General Joel Reifman.

He said Lindsey Ford’s visit highlighted the strength of Hyderabad's emerging tech sector and the Telangana government's role in supporting start-ups, as well as the defence ties that were contributing to the US-India partnership.

Lindsey Ford serves as the principal adviser to the senior leadership in the US defence department for all policy matters pertaining to development and implementation of defence strategies and plans for South and Southeast Asia. Prior to her arrival in Hyderabad, she had attended the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.