India, US seal 10-yr defence partnership framework, signal strategic convergence

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the 2025 framework is intended to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defence cooperation. It said the framework will usher in a new era in the already strong defence partnership between the two countries and marks a new chapter in further transforming it over the next 10 years.

Singh said 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,” he said in a post on X, adding that defence will remain a major pillar in bilateral relations between the two sides.

The partnership, he said, is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region – a reference to efforts aimed at countering China’s assertive behaviour in the region.

Hegseth, Secretary of War, said the 10-year framework advances the India-US defence partnership, a “cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence”.

“We are enhancing our coordination, info sharing and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger,” he said in a post on X.

In February this year, following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, the two sides had announced plans for the new 10-year defence framework. A joint statement after that meeting stated: “Highlighting the deepening convergence of US-India strategic interests, the leaders reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to a dynamic defence partnership spanning multiple domains. To advance defence ties further, the leaders announced plans to sign this year a new 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership in the 21st Century.”

Despite the strain in relations between Delhi and Washington over the issue of tariffs that came up in July and August, there has been no visible dip in military ties between the two countries.

The vision for bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the September 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship, in which the two countries committed themselves to increasing cooperation in the sector.

Between 2016 and 2020, the two sides signed four more agreements, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in 2020.

In August 2024, both countries signed a Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers, among other bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation.

In September this year, Indian and American troops participated in a two-week military exercise Yudh Abhyas at Fort Wainwright in Alaska.

A week before that, the US submarine support ship USS Frank Cable visited Chennai on a scheduled port visit – the Military Sealift Command’s second to the region in two years.

Big-ticket Indian military procurements from the US include MH-60R Seahawk multi-role helicopters, Sig Sauer rifles, and M777 ultra-light howitzers.

Negotiations are underway to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA Tejas Mk2 fighters, and to procure 31 MQ-9B High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAVs. Deliveries of the GE-F404 engines for the LCA Tejas Mk1A are underway.

In an interview with The Indian Express in September, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited chairman D K Sunil had said that he did not think the tariff tensions with the US would affect discussions on defence procurements.

In its statement Friday, the Ministry of Defence said the bilateral meeting between Singh and Hegseth was constructive.

“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,” it said.

The two leaders, it said, reviewed the ongoing defence issues and the challenges that persist, and deliberated upon the ongoing defence industry and technology collaboration, while highlighting that both leaders agreed to work together to address challenges.

“The Secretary of War reiterated that India is a priority country for the US in defence cooperation and they were committed to work closely with India to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement noted.

It said India and the US continue to expand and deepen their defence relationship through military-to-military exercises and activities, information sharing, collaboration with like-minded regional and global partners, defence industrial, science and technology cooperation and defence coordination mechanisms.