New Delhi: A significant step towards enhancing bilateral defence cooperation was taken on Friday when the United States and India signed a historic 10-year Defence Framework Agreement. On the fringes of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met to formalise the agreement.
Confirming the development, Union Minister Singh described the meeting as “fruitful” and said the framework would “usher in a new era” in India-US defence relations. In a post on X, Singh stated, “Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart Peter Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur. We signed the 10-year ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership.”
“This Defence Framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship. It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. Defence will remain as a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” he further stated.
Echoing the sentiment, Hegseth said, “This advances our defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence. We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger.”
The 10-year pact outlines a long-term strategic vision for deepening military collaboration, joint exercises, technology sharing and defence innovation.
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