The India-US defense pact signed last week is a 10-year framework agreement that aims to deepen defense cooperation between the two nations through enhanced coordination, information sharing, and technological collaboration. The agreement, signed by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, is considered a cornerstone for regional stability and strengthens India’s position as a key partner of the US in the Indo-Pacific.

The agreement seeks to strengthen the strategic partnership by focusing on deeper defense industrial collaboration, enhanced technological cooperation, increased information sharing and improved coordination between military forces. The pact was signed amid trade tensions and tariff issues between the two countries, with officials on both sides emphasizing its importance in resetting and strengthening the strategic partnership. The pact is designed to provide policy direction for the entire spectrum of the India-US defense relationship and is seen as a signal of growing strategic convergence and a new decade of partnership. Both countries view the partnership as critical for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

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The agreement includes plans for joint production in India of American defense equipment, such as the Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stryker armoured personnel carriers. The pact also aims to deepen technological cooperation in defense and high-tech areas. It reinforces the strategic alignment between the two countries, demonstrating their ability to advance security cooperation independently of trade disputes. The deal is seen as a strategic counterweight to China’s growing influence in the region, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. The current India-US defence framework rests on a history of steadily growing cooperation that has evolved significantly since the early 2000s. The original 10-year defence framework pact was signed in 2005 and renewed in 2015.

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In 2016, the US designated India as a “Major Defence Partner,” a unique status that allows India to receive license-free access to a wide range of military and dual-use technologies. India was elevated to the Strategic Trade Authorization Tier1 status in 2018, further streamlining the export of high-technology items........

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