There is a canny local saying in Marathi: “Jasa dista, tasa nasta" (it isn’t what it looks like). It aptly describes the relationship between India and the US in the time of President Donald ‘Destabiliser’ Trump.

In a wild swing from bitterness, the 10-year ‘Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership’ freshly signed in Kuala Lumpur by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth takes the relationship to a different level. It could be pivotal for the region and the world. It elevates the bilateral defence ties cemented in 2015.

The comprehensive policy roadmap provides a 10-year strategic blueprint from joint operations to research and development. We are talking military coordination, real-time intelligence sharing, and joint exercises.

The framework also takes technology cooperation several notches up with joint development and........

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