The framework will enable the two countries to collaborate on global challenges like space and missile defence, preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and will prioritise export licence approvals for weapons. Importantly, the framework will also support India’s development as a logistics, maintenance, repair and overhaul hub.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said the partnership will remain a major pillar of the bilateral relationship and his counterpart Pete Hegseth described India as a priority country. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 12th Asean Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur on Friday and held wide ranging discussions on regional and global issues. They also reviewed ongoing issues related to defence industry and technology collaborations.
Singh said the agreement will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the defence partnership with the US. “It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. Defence will remain the major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-bound Indo-Pacific region,” he said.
Hegseth, the US secretary of war, said India is a priority country for the US in defence cooperation and committed to working closely with India to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. “We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger,” he posted on social media platform X after the meeting.
The 2025 framework looks at transforming the bilateral defence partnership over the next 10 years and is intended to give a unified vision and policy direction to deepen cooperation. The last 10-year agreement was signed in June 2015.Sources said India and the US have accelerated their defence partnership across all domains over the past decade, including through information sharing and defence industrial partnership. The new framework will take this forward and reflect common defence priorities like safeguarding a free and open Indo-Pacific region, strengthening interoperability across all domains, expanding collaboration with like-minded nations through forums like the Quad and defeating terrorism in all forms.
As part of the 10-year plan, the two sides will strengthen the abilities of their militaries to coordinate and respond quickly to regional threats and disasters.