India and the United States (US) have signed a defense agreement to expand their cooperation to foster national unity.
The India-US defense agreement, officially known as “Framework for the Greater US-India Defense Partnership”, is a 10-year pact signed on October 31, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and aims to strengthen military collaboration, technology sharing and joint initiatives between the two nations.
The agreement marks a “new era” in defense relations between India and the United States, with both nations committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific region. It also reflects the growing strategic convergence between the two countries.
The agreement was announced after a meeting between US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur.
Hegseth, in a post shared on
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also stated in X that defense will remain an important pillar of bilateral relations.
“It is a sign of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. Defense will remain an important pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical to ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” Singh said, in a post on X.
This defense agreement is expected to boost joint production, technology transfers and military exercises between the two nations, complementing economic and diplomatic engagements.
The development coincided with efforts by India and the United States to finalize a trade deal and ease tensions, which were exacerbated when US President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, including a 25% fine related to India’s purchases of Russian oil and weapons.
According to Pramit Pal Chaudhuri of the Eurasia Group think tank, the timeline for the deal that was to be concluded in July-August this year was delayed due to tensions between India and the United States, arising from comments made by Trump on India’s conflict with Pakistan.
This national cooperation is the latest in a series of agreements between the two countries that have made it “easier for the two militaries to achieve interoperability, for India to access technology and for the two defense sectors to work together,” Chaudhuri said.
“This offers greater potential in all three areas,” he added.
India and the United States have been strengthening their defense relationship, with major discussions during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in February discussing possible deals on F-35 stealth fighter jets and other military equipment.
However, India’s continued engagement with Russia on defense and oil imports has caused strains in the US-India relationship.
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