US, Oct 31 : In a landmark step toward strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, India and the United States on Friday signed a historic 10-year India-US Defence Framework Agreement, reaffirming their shared vision for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
The agreement was exchanged in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, between India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting.
“I just met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh of India to sign a 10-year U.S.-India Defense Framework. This advances our defence partnership a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence,” Hegseth said in a post on X, adding that defence ties between the two nations “have never been stronger.”
Hegseth also noted that the two countries are working to enhance bilateral coordination, information sharing, and technology cooperation key pillars of the new framework.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described his meeting with Hegseth as “fruitful” and hailed the signing of the framework as a milestone in the evolving defence relationship.
“Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart @PeterHegsethSec 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,” Singh posted on X.
He further stated that the new agreement “provides policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US defence relationship” and “signals our growing strategic convergence.”
Singh emphasised that the India-US partnership is vital for maintaining a rules-based Indo-Pacific, underscoring both nations’ commitment to peace, stability, and shared prosperity in the region.
The meeting in Kuala Lumpur precedes the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus), scheduled for November 1, where both sides are expected to continue high-level discussions on regional security cooperation and maritime stability.