A Pentagon spokesperson said India and the United States agreed to sign a 10 -year defense partnership structure, when Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, meet later this year.
This was fixed in a phone conversation between Singh and Hegseth on Tuesday, senior US defense spokesperson Colonel Chris Divine said in a statement. Hegseth also met the Foreign Minister’s Jaishankar in Pentagon on Tuesday.
“On 1 July, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke with India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Secretary Hegseth stressed the priority of American places in India as his leading defense partner in South Asia … Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh reviewed both countries, which have been given in the President (Dondd). India’s mandatory defense and defense industrial cooperation between the two countries.
The spokesperson said, “Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh agreed to sign the next 10-year-old US-India Defense structure when they hold next meeting this year,” the spokesperson said. There is no time for this meeting so far.
At Hegseth’s meeting with Jaishankar, the spokesperson said the two sides discussed defense partnership and close cooperation in a joint statement of February 2025.
“Keeping in view the mutual concern about the danger of aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, two reviewed the pending defense sales, upcoming signature of the next 10-year defense structure, and progress on advanced technology policy reviews. Secretary Hegseth and Minister Jayashankar launched the next Sindhu-X summit, a bilateral defense tech, and Haghawani.
The US Department of Defense said that Hegseth mentioned in the meeting that Trump and Modi had “established a strong foundation for our relationship, which we are building here today: productive, practical and realistic”.
The story continues below this advertisement
Saying that India and the US claim a rich and growing history of cooperation by a shared commitment to an independent and open Indo-Pacific, Hegseth said that the two sides are “conscious of security concerns” in the region “and” the ability to fight that threat “. He also mentioned the” essential equipment “to compete in the India-Practices.
“America is very happy with the successful integration of many US defense goods in India’s inventory. And construction on this progress, we hope that we can complete many major American defense sales in India, expand our shared defense industrial cooperation and co-producing efforts, strengthen the difference between our forces, and then signed a new 10-year framework for US-India.
Jaishankar said that while India has a strong relationship with the US, more can be done. “We believe that our defense partnership today is actually one of the most resulting pillars of the relationship. It is not only made on shared interests, but we really believe in deepening the convergence of abilities,” Jaishankar said. “And what we do in Indo-Pacific, we believe, is absolutely important for its strategic stability.”
The two sides also discussed participation at the next Indo-American Defense Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, where they would continue construction on defense industrial cooperation and produce new innovations in technology and manufacturing, stating in the US statement.
The story continues below this advertisement
“We are eager to work with you to feel our shared goals … they are deep and moving.”
“The world is a complex place, perhaps growing in its complexity, and of course our partnership, and what we can contribute will be very important, not only for us, I think, but for the larger field – for the larger field – I will also argue, for the world,” Jayashankar said.
During their meeting in February, Modi and Trump announced a plan to carry forward a new purchase and co-production system for Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and striker armed vehicles. He also discussed the purchase of six additional P-8i sea patrol aircraft.
Relationship (T) Indian Express
