India, US sign 10-year pact to deepen defence ties

INdia and the US on fri signed a 10-year fabric to change the bilaterally symmetrical defence human relationship, during a meeting between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur. The 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership was signed on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus.The development comes as India is contending with an increasingly delicate balancing act between negotiating a trade deal and repairing ties with the US and maintaining its relationship with Russia. India and the US have renewed contacts in recent weeks to revive negotiations on a trade deal. The trade talks were stalled after Trump hit Indian goods with 25% reciprocal tariffs. He followed it up with a 25% penalty over India’s Russian oil purchases.The 2025 framework marks a new chapter to further transform the partnership over the next 10 years, the defence ministry said. “It is intended to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defence cooperation.”The two leaders appreciated the continuing momentum in the bilateral defence cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to further build upon the mutually beneficial partnership across all its pillars, the defence ministry said. “They reviewed the ongoing defence issues and the challenges that persist and deliberated upon the ongoing defence industry and technology collaborations. At a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainties, both leaders agreed to work together to address challenges,” the ministry said in a statement.“Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart. We signed the 10 years ‘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,” Singh wrote on X.He added that the pact is a signal of the US and India’s growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. “Defence will remain the major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region.”Both India and the US stand for a rule-based international order for peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific. China is seeking to boost its influence in the region by setting up military bases, pushing countries to advance its maritime claims and forcing strategic concessions from vulnerable states.“I just met with @rajnathsingh to sign a 10-year U.S.-India Defense Framework. This advances our defense partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence. We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defense ties have never been stronger,” Hegseth wrote on X.The two sides signed the non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) in August 2024, a pact that allows India and the US to request priority delivery of goods and services from defence firms in both countries for executing contracts and subcontracts. Last year, the two sides also signed a memorandum of agreement regarding the assignment of liaison officers to deepen defence cooperation. This agreement seeks to enhance cooperation, understanding, interoperability, and sharing of information on matters of mutual interest.Discussions on the trade deal resumed after US assistant trade representative Brendan Lynch held talks with Indian officials in New Delhi on September 16, and this was followed by a visit by US ambassador-designate Sergio Gor, a close aide of Trump, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trade discussions also figured in recent visits to the US by external affairs minister S Jaishankar and commerce minister Piyush Goyal. US President Donald Trump hinted this week in South Korea that a trade deal with India is imminent.