India and the United States have signed a landmark 10-year defence partnership framework, marking a new phase in their longstanding strategic relationship. The framework, formalised in Kuala Lumpur during the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, sets out a unified vision to further strengthen cooperation in areas such as joint production, intelligence sharing, defence technology, and military interoperability across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.
This agreement comes against the backdrop of recent tariff disputes and evolving regional security challenges. Leaders from both sides emphasised that the new framework is designed to recalibrate the defence partnership, ensuring both nations can address emerging threats and help safeguard a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who signed the pact, called it a signal of growing strategic convergence. They reaffirmed the importance of defence ties as a cornerstone for peace, stability, and deterrence in the region. The partnership not only strengthens defence industry links but also deepens collaboration in critical and emerging technologies, supporting India’s military modernisation and boosting defence production capabilities.
In addition to enhancing joint exercises and interoperability, the pact highlights the commitment to regional stability. Both nations also agreed to expand collaboration through forums like the Quad and to cooperate more closely on disaster response and counter-terrorism. Sources suggest upcoming joint production and direct sales deals for specialized equipment, including advanced munitions, drones, and surveillance aircraft, would soon be pursued under this framework.
This agreement is widely seen as setting the policy and operational direction for the next decade, reaffirming the growing India–US synergy in global security, defence innovation, and Indo-Pacific cooperation.
