The United States has indicated optimism about moving forward with a number of key defence pacts with India, reaffirming the mutual strategic vision both countries share over security threats to the Indo-Pacific.
On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon.
After discussions, Jaishankar termed the interaction as productive, highlighting the deepening India-US defence relationship and observing the increasing convergence of their strategic interests and operational responsibilities.
As per a report published by the US Department of Defence (DoD), Hegseth emphasized the shared awareness the two nations have for threats in the Indo-Pacific. "Washington and New Delhi are 'mutually aware of the security concerns in the region, and both nations have the ability to counter that threat together,'" he stated.
The DoD added that Hegseth mentioned US initiatives to enhance India's defence readiness. "The United States is highly satisfied with the effective integration of numerous US defence products into India's inventory," he said.
In the future, Hegseth went on to say, "And building upon this momentum, we hope we can finalize some big outstanding US defence sales to India, deepen our shared defence industrial cooperation and coproduction efforts, enhance interoperability. between our militaries, and then formally sign a new 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership. which we hope to do very shortly."
Jaishankar, in his address, underscored the strength of the defence relationship, labelling it a pillar of bilateral relations. "We think that our defence cooperation is, now, one of the most important pillars of the relationship," he said.
He went on, "It's not constructed just on common interest, but we feel genuinely deepening convergence and of capacities, of obligations and what we do in the Indo-Pacific, we feel, is absolutely central to its strategic stability."
Talking more generally about the changing world environment, Jaishankar said, "The world is a complex place, perhaps increasing in its complexity, and certainly our collaboration and the contribution that we can make together, I believe, would be of vast significance, not merely for us, I believe, but for the extended region, I would even contend for the world."
Hegseth attributed the initiative by both countries' leaders in the early days of setting the stage for contemporary defence cooperation. "Near the outset of the administration, President [Donald] Trump and Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi established a solid foundation for our relationship, one we're continuing here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic."
He also pointed to the continued development of bilateral cooperation: "And our countries share a rich and expanding history of cooperation with a shared vision for an open and free Indo-Pacific."
Beyond examining ongoing initiatives, the two leaders also spoke of future cooperation at the upcoming India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit. The summit will seek to fuel innovation and enhance industrial cooperation in defence technology and manufacturing.
"We're excited to work with you to achieve our common objectives," Hegseth concluded. "They're profound and sustained."
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