U.S. and India Ink Landmark 10-Year Defence Framework to Anchor Strategic Partnership
The United States and India today took a significant leap in their defence relationship by signing a 10-year Defence Framework Agreement, declared U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following a meeting with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur.
“This advances our defence partnership — a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence,” Hegseth posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“We’re enhancing our coordination, information-sharing and technological cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger.”
The pact underscores deepening U.S.–India ties across multiple dimensions.
It comes just days after India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the same city, where Rubio described his country’s relationship with India as “deep, historic and important” — and made clear that Washington’s ties with Pakistan would not come at the expense of its partnership with New Delhi.
The agreement is built on a foundation of earlier bilateral defence engagements and signals a longer-term strategic alignment:
- It formalises a decade-long roadmap for enhanced military cooperation.
- It emphasises coordination in defence trade, technology sharing, joint development and increased interoperability of U.S.-origin systems in India’s armed forces.
- It is timed amid heightened competition in the Indo-Pacific region, marking a clear statement of shared interests in regional stability.
In his remarks, Hegseth said the framework “will now be known as’ the vehicle for deeper collaboration between the two nations and stressed that it constitutes a cornerstone of deterrence and regional confidence.
For India, this development offers several strategic advantages: expanded access to advanced U.S. technologies, deeper defence industrial ties, and bolstered credibility as a key partner in the region.
For the U.S., it ensures a stronger ally in South Asia and contributes to the broader Indo-Pacific strategy.
Looking ahead, implementation of this framework will involve detailed mechanisms: how information sharing is structured, how joint tech development proceeds, how forces train and operate together, and how defence procurement aligns with this decade-long vision.
The success of the pact will depend not only on signature ceremonies but on sustained follow-through.
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