India, US Sign 10-Year Defence Framework in Malaysia

• By Thetripurapost Desk, Kuala Lumpur
• Oct 31, 2025
• 592

In a major step towards bolstering strategic ties, India and the United States have signed a new 10-year Defence Framework Agreement during a meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Malaysia.

Announcing the development on X, Hegseth said, “I just met with Rajnath Singh to sign a 10-year US-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.”

The new framework, rooted in the February meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Donald Trump at the White House, was identified as a key outcome of that high-level dialogue.

The signing follows sustained diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Washington. Just days earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Malaysia, discussing bilateral relations, regional security, and global challenges.

According to reports, Rajnath Singh and Secretary Hegseth had earlier held a phone conversation finalising the framework, which the Pentagon confirmed on July 2. Their discussions covered major pending US defence sales to India and cooperation in defence industrial production — aligning with India’s “Make in India” initiative.

A key agenda item was the delay in GE Aerospace’s F404 engine deliveries, vital for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme. Singh also pressed for the early conclusion of the HAL–GE Aerospace agreement for joint production of F414 engines in India — a move expected to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce import dependency.

The new 10-year framework is seen as a major milestone in the evolving US–India strategic partnership, enhancing defence collaboration, technology sharing, and regional security coordination in the Indo-Pacific.