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First Post
03-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
India, US to sign 10-yr defence pact, says Pentagon; Rajnath-Hegseth meeting on the cards
India and the United States plan to sign a new 10-year defence agreement when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later this year, a Pentagon official has said. read more India and the United States have agreed to sign a new 10-year defence partnership framework when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth in the coming days, a Pentagon spokesperson said. This decision was made during a phone call between Singh and Hegseth on Tuesday, said senior US defence spokesman Colonel Chris Devine. Hegseth also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Pentagon on the same day. 'On 1 July, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth spoke with India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Secretary Hegseth stressed how important India is as a key US defence partner in South Asia,' Colonel Devine said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh and Hegseth discussed the progress made towards achieving defence goals outlined in the joint statement issued by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2025. They also spoke about major pending US defence sales to India and the need for closer defence industrial cooperation. 'Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh agreed to sign the next 10-year US-India defence framework when they meet later this year,' Devine said, though no specific timeline for the meeting has been set. During Hegseth's meeting with Jaishankar, the two sides discussed the defence partnership, regional security concerns in the Asia-Pacific, and progress on advanced technology policy. They also welcomed the upcoming INDUS-X Summit, a bilateral defence technology forum, and the launch of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA). The US Department of Defence noted that Trump and Modi laid a strong foundation for the partnership, which Hegseth described as 'productive, pragmatic and realistic.' Hegseth said the US is pleased with how US defence equipment has been integrated into India's military and hopes to finalise more major defence sales, boost defence industrial cooperation, enhance co-production efforts, and strengthen interoperability between the two nations' forces. Jaishankar said India values its strong relationship with the US but sees room for deeper cooperation. 'We believe that our defence partnership is one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship. It's not built merely on shared interests, but on deepening convergence—of capabilities and responsibilities,' he said, adding that cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is crucial for strategic stability. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both sides also plan to take part in the next India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, aiming to further defence industry collaboration and technological innovation, according to the US statement.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
India and US to sign defence framework when Rajnath and Hegseth meet next
India and the United States have agreed to sign a new 10-year defence partnership framework when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, meet later this year, a Pentagon spokesperson has said. This was decided in a phone conversation between Singh and Hegseth on Tuesday, senior US Defence spokesman Colonel Chris Devine said in a statement. Hegseth also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Pentagon on Tuesday. 'On July 1, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth spoke with India's Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh. Secretary Hegseth emphasised the priority the US places on India as its key defence partner in South Asia… Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh reviewed the considerable progress both countries have made toward achieving the defence goals set out in the February 2025 joint statement by President (Donald) Trump and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi. The two discussed pending major US defence sales to India and the imperative of close defence industrial cooperation between the two countries,' Col Devine said. 'Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh agreed to sign the next 10-year US-India defence framework when they next meet this year,' the spokesperson said. There is no timeline for this meeting so far. On Hegseth's meeting with Jaishankar, the spokesperson said the two sides discussed defence partnership and close cooperation embodied in the February 2025 joint statement. 'Noting mutual concern about the danger of aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, the two reviewed pending major defence sales, the forthcoming signing of the next 10-year defence framework, and progress on advanced technology policy reviews. Secretary Hegseth and Minister Jaishankar welcomed the next INDUS-X Summit, a bilateral defence tech forum, and the accompanying launch of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA),' he said. The US Department of Defence said Hegseth noted at the meeting that Trump and Modi had set a 'strong foundation for our relationship, which we're building on here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic'. Saying that India and the US 'boast a rich and growing history of cooperation driven by a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific', Hegseth said both sides are 'mutually aware of the security concerns' in the region and 'have the ability to counter that threat together'. He also mentioned US efforts to provide India with the 'tools needed' to counter threats in the Indo-Pacific region. 'The US is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defence items into India's inventory. And building on this progress, we hope we can complete several major pending US defence sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial cooperation and co-production efforts, strengthen interoperability… between our forces, and then formally sign a new 10-year framework for the US-India major defence partnership… which we hope to do very soon,' Hegseth said at the meeting. Jaishankar said that while India has a strong relationship with the US, more can be done. 'We believe that our defence partnership is today truly one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship. It's not built merely on shared interests, but we believe in really deepening convergence… of capabilities, of responsibilities,' Jaishankar said. 'And what we do in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, is absolutely crucial to its strategic stability.' The two sides also discussed participation in the next India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, where they will continue to build on defence industrial cooperation and produce new innovations in technology and manufacturing, the US statement said. 'We're eager to work alongside you to realise our shared goals… they're deep and ongoing,' Hegseth said. 'The world is a complicated place, perhaps growing in its complexity, and certainly our partnership, and the contribution that we can make together would be of immense importance, not just for us, I think, but for the larger region — I would even argue, for the world,' Jaishankar said. During their meeting in February, Modi and Trump had announced plans to pursue new procurements and co-production arrangements for Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and Stryker armored vehicles. They also discussed procurement of six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism '2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury's special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban's capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More
India.com
02-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
US Gives India Priority As Key South Asia Defence Partner: Pete Hegseth
The US gives India priority as its 'key defence partner in South Asia', Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has affirmed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to a Pentagon Spokesperson, Colonel Chris Devine. "When he spoke to Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, Hegseth emphasised the priority the US places on India as its key defence partner in South Asia,' said Devine. He pointed out that both leaders reviewed the considerable progress both countries have made toward achieving the defence goals set out in the February 2025 joint statement by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and agreed to sign the next ten-year US-India Defence Framework when they meet this year. 'They also discussed pending major US defence sales to India and the imperative of close defence industrial cooperation between the two countries,' he added. After the call, Rajnath Singh posted on X that they had an excellent discussion to review the ongoing and new initiatives to further deepen India-US defence partnership and strengthen cooperation in capacity building. He conveyed his deep appreciation for the unwavering support extended by the US to India in its fight against terrorism, and he was looking forward to meeting him at an early date. Rajnath Singh spoke to Hegseth before the US official met with visiting External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar at the Pentagon. After that meeting, the Pentagon said that EAM Jaishankar and Hegseth discussed participation in the next INDUS-X Summit, where the two nations will continue to build on US-India defence industrial cooperation and produce new innovations in technology and manufacturing. The defence framework also figured in their talks. The Pentagon said that Hegseth told Jaishankar the U.S. and India are mutually aware of the security concerns in the region, and both nations have the ability to counter that threat together. The defence cooperation between India and the US is one of the most consequential pillars of the US-India relationship, said EAM Jaishankar. The defence framework comes under the US-India COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century, which was agreed to by President Trump and PM Modi at their Washington meeting in February and covers cooperation in a wide range of areas from defence and security to trade and space. PM Modi and Trump announced plans for new procurements and coproduction arrangements for Javelin antitank guided missiles and Stryker armoured vehicles, as well as acquiring six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, according to the Pentagon. India has already integrated various weapons systems into its military, like the C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and P-8I Poseidon aircraft, as well as the CH-47F Chinook, MH-60R Sea Hawk and AH-64E Apache. It also utilises the Harpoon antiship missiles, M777 howitzers and MQ-9 B Sky Guardians, it said.
