India and the United States on Friday signed a 10-year Defence Framework Agreement, marking a new era in their growing partnership. The agreement, exchanged between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur, provides a long-term policy direction for the US–India Major Defence Partnership.
The development underscores the expanding strategic alignment between New Delhi and Washington. Announcing the agreement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described it as a historic milestone, stating that the two nations’ “defence ties have never been stronger.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh echoed this sentiment, calling his meeting with Hegseth “fruitful” and highlighting that the new framework would “usher in a new era” in bilateral defence cooperation.
In a post on X, Singh said, “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. The 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 a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.”
Hegseth said on X, “I just met with Rajnath Singh 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 coordination, information sharing, and technology cooperation. Our defense ties have never been stronger.”
The meeting between the two leaders took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN–India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The informal session was held ahead of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), scheduled for November 1, where regional security and cooperation will be key topics of discussion.
Ahead of his visit, Rajnath Singh had said that the ASEAN–India engagements in Kuala Lumpur aim to further strengthen defence and security cooperation among ASEAN member states and India, in line with the ‘Act East Policy’.
The high-level exchange reflected the continuing momentum in India–US defence collaboration, reaffirming the two nations’ shared commitment to regional stability, maritime security, and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.
(With inputs from ANI)