India and the United States have initiated a bold plan to create a new 10-year defense partnership, with an emphasis on co-manufacturing of key military weapons and platforms. This comes after President Donald Trump announced that the US will greatly boost its defense sales to India, including the possible sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Following extensive discussions at the White House on Thursday (Friday in India), Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump committed to “breaking new ground” in defense cooperation. Their focus will be on enhancing logistics, intelligence sharing, and facilitating joint military deployments in the Indo-Pacific region.
One of the key aspects of the agreement is India's commitment to purchasing six additional P-8I navy patrol aircraft from the US, which will further bolster India's naval intelligence capabilities.
The two leaders also laid out plans for future defense purchases and co-production agreements for the remainder of the year. These include 'Javelin' anti-tank guided missiles and 'Stryker' infantry fighting vehicles, which will meet India's near-term defense needs.
Induction of closer defence cooperation between India and the US is against a backdrop of rising concerns about Chinese expanding military manoeuvrings on the LAC as well as in the Indian Ocean Area. Modi and Trump also spoke on the initiation of talks for an India-US Reciprocal Defense Procurement (RDP) agreement to bring procurement systems closer and provide the reciprocal supply of defense goods and services.
Both of them committed to strengthening defense technology collaboration in diverse areas such as space, air defense, missile systems, naval, and underwater technologies. In this context, the US has agreed to reconsider its policy on supplying fifth-generation fighter aircraft like the F-35, as well as advanced underwater systems, to India.
During a joint media conference, Trump stated, "We're going to be selling many billions of dollars in military sales to India, beginning this year." He also brought to light the planned supply of F-35 stealth fighter planes to India, which are some of the world's most sophisticated planes.
When queried on the procurement of F-35, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri made it clear that the plan is in the initial stages and no process has been kicked off yet.
Prime Minister Modi emphasized the US’s vital role in enhancing India’s defense readiness, saying, “As strategic partners and trusted friends, we are already moving towards joint development, joint production, and technology transfer.” He also announced the establishment of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) to foster industry partnerships and expand production in the Indo-Pacific region.
In order to further enhance the defense partnership, the two leaders signed a new 10-year framework for the US-India 'Major Defense Partnership' in the 21st Century. This will prioritize defense interoperability, logistics, repair, and maintenance.
As a step towards simplifying defense trade, the two nations agreed to examine arms transfer controls, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), to allow for technology sharing and efficient in-country overhauls and repairs of US-provided systems.
Lastly, the establishment of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) was announced to enhance industry cooperation and production capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, the second major milestone in the process of defense cooperation between India and the US.
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