In a confirmation of their increasing strategic alliance, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met at the Pentagon on Tuesday to talk over common security threats and ways to improve defence cooperation.
Identifying the common security interests in the Indo-Pacific, Hegseth highlighted the combined potential of India and the US in addressing threats in the region. "We're keen to work with you to achieve our common objectives. They're profound and persistent," he added at the start of their discussion.
Jaishankar emphasized the importance of the alliance and said defence cooperation is "one of the most consequential pillars" of US-India ties. He added that the relationship isn't based only on shared interests but on "really deepening convergence and of capabilities, of responsibilities." He emphasized that what happens in the Indo-Pacific would be pivotal to maintaining strategic balance in the region.
While expressing confidence in the robustness of current relationships, Jaishankar also referred to future growth. "The world is a complex place," he explained, "and definitely our partnership can make a significant difference too. It's not just for us, it's for the larger region as well."
Hegseth welcomed the successful integration of US military systems in India's arsenal. "The United States is highly satisfied with the successful integration of numerous US defence items into India's inventory," he noted. He further added that the US eagerly awaits concluding major outstanding defence sales, increasing industrial cooperation, and enhancing joint production capacity. Hegseth was also hopeful to seal a new 10-year framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership "very soon.
As per the Pentagon, the two leaders discussed existing arms deals and talked about broadening the strategic partnership framework. They also discussed the forthcoming INDUS-X Summit, which is an important platform where the US and India will continue to drive innovation in defence manufacturing and technology.
After the talks, Jaishankar tweeted on X: "Had a useful discussion on taking the India-US defence partnership forward on the basis of increasing convergences of interest, capabilities and responsibility."
Jaishankar's trip to Washington comes at a time when he is attending the meeting of Quad foreign ministers with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and foreign ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Takeshi Iwaya of Japan.
Before the Pentagon meeting, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke over phone with Hegseth. Singh tweeted on X that they had an "excellent discussion to discuss the ongoing and new projects to further enhance India-US defence cooperation and enlarge cooperation in capacity building." He also expressed his "deepest appreciation for the unflinching support provided by the US to India in its effort to combat terrorism" and demonstrated enthusiasm for an early one-to-one meeting.
Jaishankar was received at the Pentagon with added military honors, such as a ceremonial cordon and a Navy band performance, which played American patriotic pieces along with India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
Hegseth recognized the firm leadership of President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in establishing a strong foundation for bilateral relations. "They laid a strong foundation for our relationship, which we're building on here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic," he stated.
He further said, "And our nations have a rich and expanding history of cooperation based on a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific."
The Pentagon mentioned that India has already inducted some major US platforms into its defence forces, including the C-130J Super Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III, P-8I Poseidon, CH-47F Chinook, MH-60R Seahawk, and AH-64E Apache helicopters. India has also inducted Harpoon anti-ship missiles, M777 howitzers, and MQ-9B drones, further increasing operational interoperability between the two defence forces.
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