In a major boost to strategic ties between New Delhi and Washington, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today announced the signing of a 10-year “Framework for the US–India Major Defence Partnership” during his meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur.
In a post on X, Rajnath Singh while terming his meeting with his US counterpart as “fruitful”, said, “We signed the 10 years ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership”.
“This Defence Framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US Defence Relationship. It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership,” the Defence Minister said.
He further emphasised that defence would continue to be a major pillar of bilateral relations, noting that the partnership is “critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.”
Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth also mentioned the signing of the 10-year “Framework for the US–India Major Defence Partnership” on his X handle.
“I just met with @rajnathsingh to sign a 10-year U.S.-India Defense Framework,” the Secretary of War said.
He said, “This advances our defense partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence. We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defense ties have never been stronger.”
Rajnath Singh is in Malaysia to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) scheduled to be held on November 1.
ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam) and its eight Dialogue Partners (India, US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) to strengthen security and defence cooperation.
India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus is held annually to bolster the defence cooperation among ASEAN and plus countries.
Under the construct of ADMM-Plus, India is the co-chair of Experts Working Group on Counter Terrorism with Malaysia for the cycle 2024-2027. The second edition of ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise is also scheduled in 2026.
