Tag: joe biden

PM Modi’s US visit to elevate bilateral ties: Pentagon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to the US this month will set new benchmarks for bilateral ties and big announcements are likely to be made on defence industrial cooperation and boosting India’s indigenous military base, the Pentagon has said.

Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden this month. During his four-day visit starting on June 21, the US president and the First Lady will host Modi for a state dinner on June 22.

“When Prime Minister Modi comes here to Washington for a State Visit later in the month, I think it will be a historic visit setting new benchmarks for the relationship,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said during a panel discussion at the Center for New American Security on Thursday.

“I think it (the visit) will be looked back upon similar to how the Japan two plus two earlier this year was a pivotal moment in the relationship. People will be looking back on this visit by Prime Minister Modi as a real springboard for the US-India relationship,” he said.

Ratner said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited India recently to advance a number of bilateral issues and prepare the ground for the prime minister’s visit to Washington by finalising particular agreements and initiatives that the two countries are working on.

“Among the priorities are clear strategic alignment around the question of co-development and co-production between the United States and India on the defence side. This is a priority for Prime Minister Modi to strengthen India’s indigenous defence industrial base, as well as advancing the military modernisation,” he said.

June 9, 2023
Joe Biden Vows To ‘fight’ Texas Judge’s Ruling To Hold Approval Of Abortion Pill

“My administration will fight this ruling,” said US President Joe Biden on Saturday, after a federal judge in Texas ordered a hold on the approval of the abortion medicine, mifepristone.

Notably, this move has now sparked the question of how the people of the United States will access the most common method of abortion. The medication for abortion has been widely used in the US since 2000, and this is the first time that a judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration to halt the approval of abortion drugs.

Out of the two popular drugs that are used for medication abortion in the United States, Mifepristone is one of the most widely used, with the other being Misoprostol, which is used to treat pregnancy and other health-related issues.

Biden admin to fight Texas judge’s decision on Mifepristone
On Saturday, Biden said, “the only way to stop those who are committed to taking away women’s rights and freedoms in every state is to elect a Congress who will pass a law restoring Roe versus Wade,” he further added saying “Vice President Harris and I will continue to lead the fight to protect a woman’s right to an abortion, and to make her own decisions about her own health.”

US District Judge Matthew J Kacsmaryk directed FDA to keep mifepristone’s approval on hold while a lawsuit seeking to challenge the safety and approval of the drug continues. The judge asked the authorities to suspend the approval of chemical abortion drugs and remove them from the list of approved drugs. He imposed a stay or hold on approval of the drug.

According to reports, federal lawyers who will be representing the FDA before the court are expected to take time to appeal, as the federal government is granted seven days to appeal. Meanwhile, clinics and doctors have decided that if the usage of mifepristone is completely banned, they will start prescribing the second drug, misoprostol. Despite having a slightly lower rate of effectiveness in ending pregnancies, misoprostol is still widely used in countries where mifepristone is illegal or unavailable. The ban on abortion drugs is viewed as a direct attack on women’s right to choose.

What is Roe v Wade?
Roe v Wade is the 1973 US Supreme Court case that gave women the power to proceed with abortion in the United States. The legislation gave safe, legal abortion right nationwide for nearly 50 years after the court reversed its decision in June last year. Although the law allowed abortion, people never had access to it because lots of states had passed rules that made abortion an impossible task.

April 8, 2023
United States Speeds Up Abrams Tank Delivery To Ukraine War Zone

The Pentagon is speeding up its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, opting to send a refurbished older model that can be ready faster, with the aim of getting the 70-tonne battle powerhouses to the war zone by the fall, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the newer M1A2 Abrams, which could have taken a year or two to build and ship.

But officials said the decision was made to send the older M1A1 version, which can be taken from Army stocks.

Officials said the M1A1 also will be easier for Ukrainian forces to learn to use and maintain as they fight the invading Russian forces.

“This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.

The Biden administration announced in January that it would send the tanks to Ukraine — after insisting for months that they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair.

The decision was part of a broader political maneuver that opened the door for Germany to announce it would send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow Poland and other allies to do the same.

Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Ryder said the tanks will be refurbished and refitted to make them combat ready for Ukraine.

He declined to say where that work will be done.

It’s unclear how soon the U.S. would begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use, maintain and repair the tanks.

The intention would be to have the training of the troops coincide with the refurbishment of the tanks, so that both would be ready for battle at the same time later this year, said U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not publicly provided.

The Pentagon will also have to ensure that Ukrainian forces have an adequate supply chain for all the parts needed to keep the tanks running.

The Russian and Ukrainian forces have been largely in a stalemate, trading small slices of land over the winter.

March 22, 2023