India, US sign 10-year defense framework

By Anadolu staff

The US and India on Friday signed a 10-year defense framework, according to defense chiefs.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he signed the pact during his meeting with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital.

"I just met with @rajnathsingh to sign a 10-year U.S.-India Defense Framework. 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," he wrote on US social media company X after the meeting.

On his part, Singh called his meeting with Hegseth "fruitful" and said they signed the 10-year "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," he said in a separate statement on X.

Singh added that it is also a signal of their growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership.

"Defence will remain as a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region," he said.

Hegseth and Singh are in Malaysia attending the two-day ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting.