The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) today arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport leading the largest-ever U.S. Executive Defense Mission to India in the 33-year history of this premier business advocacy organization whose mandate is to deepen U.S.-India commercial ties.

Comprised of America's top defense companies, including GE Aviation, General Dynamics, ITT, Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, L-3 Communications, Northrup Grumman, Oracle, Raytheon, Sikorsky, Stonebridge International, BGR Holdings, The Cohen Group, Tri Polis, EP Team, The Fremont Group, and DRS Technologies, this broad-based Executive Defense Mission will be led by USIBC Board Member, William S. Cohen, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and by Admiral Walt Doran and General Paul Kern -- both retired four- star officers from the U.S. Armed Services.

"As the U.S. prepares for its largest-ever Foreign Military Sale to India of C-130 J Transport Aircraft, as well as direct commercial sales of P-8 Naval Reconnaissance planes, the promise of deeper U.S.-India defense cooperation is now reality -- with collaborations and joint ventures between U.S. and Indian firms already underway. U.S. companies are looking forward to being a reliable supplier and trusted partner for the long term," said former Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen. Cohen is Chairman of The Cohen Group, a strategic consulting and advisory firm based in Washington, D.C.

"As the United States and India deepen their partnership in defense cooperation, jobs are being created in India as well as in the U.S., spurred by technology trade and high-end manufacturing. This is a true 'win-win' for both sides," said Ron Somers, President of the U.S.-India Business Council, speaking about U.S.-India high technology collaborations.

U.S. defense companies under the USIBC banner have launched eight consecutive Missions to India over the past three years advocating for more robust defense cooperation.

Bilateral dialogues between the two governments have taken place in rapid succession ever since India's erstwhile Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, initiated a new era of cooperation with the United States under the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP), beginning in 2001.

Since that time, U.S. defense companies have opened offices in New Delhi in pursuit of collaborations with partners in the Indian defense sector.

The U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization representing 275 of the largest U.S. companies investing in India, joined by two dozen of India's largest global companies. Chaired by Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman of PepsiCo, USIBC's mandate is to deepen two-way trade and strengthen U.S.-India commercial ties.

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), formed in 1975 at the request of the Government of India and the U.S. Government to advance commercial ties between the world's two largest free-market democracies, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region. The U.S.-India Business Council celebrates its 33rd Anniversary at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 12, 2008 in Washington, D.C.