In late October 2025, the United States and India signed a ten-year defence framework agreement trumpeted in both capitals as a “cornerstone for regional stability.” Washington presented it as evidence of its Indo-Pacific commitment, while New Delhi celebrated it as a diplomatic triumph. Yet beyond the headlines, the pact offers far more symbolism than substance. The agreement pledges broader cooperation in intelligence sharing, arms procurement, logistics, and defence-industry collaboration across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains. But despite its grand presentation, this is not a mutual defence treaty. It carries no automatic clause obliging either country to defend the other in the event of war, unlike NATO’s Article 5. What has been signed is essentially an extension of the 2005 and 2015 defence frameworks, not a new military commitment.

In practical terms, if India were attacked by China or Pakistan, there is no obligation for Washington to intervene militarily. The pact does not guarantee protection; it guarantees partnership, and........

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