NEW DELHI (PTI): India and the US have a unique role in preserving the rules-based global order, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday.

After holding wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Austin said that the US government is putting its "full weight" behind supporting India's defence modernisation.

Describing the US-India relationship as one of the most "consequential" ones, Austin said the partnership is a "cornerstone" for a free and open Indo-Pacific and that the growing military cooperation between the two "great powers" can be a force for global good.

The US is "absolutely committed" to "our historic investment" in ensuing technology cooperation with India, the US defence secretary said at a media briefing.

In their talks, Austin and Singh concluded an ambitious roadmap for defence industrial cooperation to fast-track technology tie-ups and co-production of military platforms such as air combat and land systems.