Pete Hegseth (L) and Rajnath Singh after signing the agreement. (Photo: X/@SecWar)
New Delhi: India and the United States have renewed their 10-year defence framework agreement, signalling continued strategic alignment between the two countries. This comes despite the ongoing trade tensions that have strained bilateral relations in recent months.
The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, signed the agreement during a meeting with the US war secretary, Pete Hegseth, in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, where both were attending the ADMM-Plus (Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus). The pact, originally signed in 2015, provides the overarching framework for defence cooperation between the two nations.
Singh described the renewal as “a signal of our growing strategic convergence” that would “herald a new decade of partnership”, emphasising that defence cooperation remains crucial for ensuring a “free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region”.
Hegseth said the agreement would enhance coordination, information sharing, technology cooperation, and advance regional stability and deterrence.
The renewal comes at a diplomatically sensitive moment. President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods earlier this year, including a 25 per cent penalty on purchases of Russian oil, creating significant friction in the economic relationship between Washington and New Delhi.
Despite these tensions, both countries have maintained regular high-level dialogue. On October 27, the external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, held discussions with his American counterpart, Marco Rubio, on bilateral relations, regional developments and defence cooperation.
Jaishankar characterized those talks as an opportunity to deepen the India-US partnership. Earlier, the union commerce minister, Piyush Goyal, had emphasised that India would not rush into agreements or accept terms that restricted its trading choices, stressing the importance of trust, long-term relationships and sustainable practices in global commerce.
The defence framework agreement underpins India’s strategy of balancing its traditional defence diplomacy with its economic interests, particularly as New Delhi maintains its partnership with Washington while managing a complex relationship with Moscow, its long-standing defence supplier.
India remains one of the world’s largest arms importers, and while it has diversified its sources in recent years, acquiring platforms from the US, France and Israel, Russia continues to supply critical equipment to the Indian armed forces. The US has expressed concerns about India’s continued defence ties with Russia, particularly following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Indo-US defence relationship has expanded significantly over the past two decades, with India designated as a “major defence partner” in 2016. The countries have signed several foundational agreements enabling greater military interoperability, including logistics sharing arrangements and communications compatibility accords.
