Who is he?
Robert Work is the current deputy secretary of defense for the United States. He was nominated for the position by President Obama on February 2 and confirmed by the Senate on April 30. He succeeds Ash Carter who stepped down as the Pentagon’s No. 2 official last December. Work previously served as CEO of the Center for New American Security (CNAS) and undersecretary of the Navy, and he is a twenty-seven year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work may have an opportunity to expand arms sales to India. Source: Department of Defense photo, U.S. Government Work.
Why has he been in the news?
Having just become the second-in-command at the Pentagon, close observers of the U.S.-India relationship are waiting to see whether Deputy Secretary Work will keep focus and build on a defense trade initiative spearheaded by his predecessor, Ash Carter. This joint initiative aims to expand bilateral defense trade by streamlining bureaucratic processes and identifying opportunities for co-production and co-development.
What can we expect from him?
With a newly elected, pro-business government headed by Narendra Modi about to take office and two-way defense trade soaring to $12 billion, Work should ensure that this positive momentum is sustained. Defense trade remains a bright spot amid a series of recent setbacks to the bilateral relationship. India has already emerged as the largest foreign buyer of U.S. arms, and Work must maintain close communication with his new Indian counterpart and push for legislative changes that facilitate and enable greater technology transfers to India.
The incoming BJP-led government made specific mention of this issue in its election manifesto, stating that “technology transfer in defense manufacturing will be encouraged to the maximum.” Many believe this could pave the way for securing additional multibillion-dollar contracts for major U.S. defense firms.
