KUALA LUMPUR: (Oct 31) In a major step toward deepening defence cooperation, India and the United States on Friday signed a 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership, marking a new phase in their strategic alignment.
The agreement was formally exchanged between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting.
Announcing the development, Hegseth said the framework would serve as a “cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence,” adding that “our defence ties have never been stronger.” In a post on X, he noted that the partnership would enhance coordination, information sharing, and technology cooperation between the two countries.
Rajnath Singh described the meeting as “fruitful” and confirmed the signing of the long-term framework, calling it a “new era in our already strong defence partnership.”
“The Defence Framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship. It signals our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership,” Singh said in his statement.
He further underlined that the agreement would strengthen cooperation for a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, a theme central to both nations’ security policies.
The Framework Agreement, signed for a decade, provides a structured approach to defence engagement, including joint training, military technology collaboration, intelligence exchange, and industrial cooperation.
Officials noted that this marks the most comprehensive defence understanding between the two democracies since the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) and the 2020 Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which enabled secure geospatial data sharing.
The signing also took place just ahead of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), scheduled for November 1, where regional security and maritime cooperation are key agenda points.
Ahead of his visit, Singh had said the Kuala Lumpur meetings aim to strengthen ASEAN-India defence and security ties under India’s “Act East” policy, reaffirming New Delhi’s role as a regional stabiliser.
Analysts say the new framework underscores a long-term commitment between New Delhi and Washington to counterbalance China’s expanding influence in the Indo-Pacific and enhance joint operational readiness.