India, US sign 10yr defence framework to boost bilateral ties

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday exchanged the agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

White House stated that in a major milestone for bilateral defence cooperation between India and the US, India and the United States signed a landmark India-US Defence Framework.

“I just met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of India to sign a 10-year U.S.-India Defense Framework. This advances our defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence,” Hegseth wrote on X.

“Our defence ties have never been stronger,” the US Secretary of War asserted.

Hegseth said that India and the US are also enhancing bilateral coordination, information sharing, and tech cooperation.

The development was also confirmed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who described his meeting with Hegseth as “fruitful”.

“Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart @PeterHegsethSec in Kuala Lumpur. 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,” Singh said on X.

The Defence Framework, Singh stressed, “will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship.”

He stated that the agreement is a “signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership.”

Defence minister Singh said that the partnership between India and the US is “critical for ensuring a free, open, and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region.”

Both leaders met on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

The informal meeting was convened ahead of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, scheduled to be held on November 1.