US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh met during the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and signed a 10-year defense cooperation agreement between the two countries. The agreement is considered a sign of increasing strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific region and strong defense ties between the two nations.
geopolitics New Era in Strategic Partnership
US Secretary of Defense Hegseth emphasized in his post on X that the agreement is a cornerstone of regional stability and deterrence. Hegseth stated that the cooperation would be further strengthened through coordination, information sharing, and technological collaboration, saying, “Defense ties have never been this strong before.”
Indian Defense Minister Singh noted that the agreement is critical for ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. Singh made the following remarks:
“We have signed a 10-year United States-India Defense Cooperation Agreement. The agreement will mark the beginning of a new era in our already strong defense partnership. This cooperation will provide policy direction across the entire spectrum of India-US defense relations.”
Singh added that the agreement is a sign that the strategic closeness between the two countries is increasing and that defense will continue to be an important aspect of their bilateral relations.
Relations Developing Despite Trade Tensions
This important defense agreement was signed at a time when trade relations between the US and India were tense, with President Donald Trump applying a 50% tariff on India and imposing a 25% penalty on India’s oil and arms imports from Russia. While the two countries are trying to resolve their trade disputes, they are also strengthening their strategic defense cooperation.
Eurasia Group analyst Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, an Indian expert, stated that the agreement was originally supposed to be signed in July-August but was delayed due to India’s discomfort with Trump’s remarks about his role in ending the conflict with Pakistan.
