The US And Indian Government Sign 10-Year Defence Pact
India and the US have signed a framework agreement to expand defence cooperation over the next 10 years.
The pact was announced after a meeting between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Hegseth, who said on X, the agreement will enhance “coordination, information sharing and tech cooperation” and advance “regional stability and deterrence”.
This agreement comes after US President Donald Trump mandated a 50% tariff on India as well as a 25% penalty fee for buying Russian oil and arms.
The agreement is expected to 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,” Singh said, in a post on X.
According to Pramit Pal Chaudhuri of the Eurasia Group think tank, the agreement was supposed to be concluded in July or August this year. But India’s irritation at Trump’s statements about his role in ending the conflict with Pakistan delayed it.
The pact is the latest in a series of agreements between the two countries that have made it “easier for the two militaries to achieve interoperability, India to access technology and the two defence sectors to work together”, Mr Chaudhuri said.