India and the United States are close to signing a major 10-year defence agreement that will boost their military ties. This new deal will help both countries work together more closely in areas like defence trade, technology, research, and joint military production. It was a key topic in recent talks between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and top US officials in Washington.
India and US Near Big Defence Agreement: Talks Focus on 10-Year Roadmap
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently met US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth during the Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Washington.
A key focus of their conversation was a major upcoming agreement between India and the US- a comprehensive 10-year defence partnership.
This new deal will build on earlier agreements and shape how the two countries work together on military matters.
It will cover everything from defence trade and industrial cooperation to research, development, and military-to-military ties.
After their meeting, Secretary Hegseth said he was happy with how well US defence equipment is fitting into India’s military.
He said both countries are close to finalising several important defence deals. He also spoke about boosting defence co-production and working more closely on technology and operations.
He stressed the US’s commitment to signing the new framework soon.
In another meeting, Jaishankar spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They discussed the COMPACT initiative - short for “Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology.”
This initiative started after talks between PM Narendra Modi and former President Donald Trump back in February.
It aims to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in many areas like defence, trade, energy, illegal immigration, and counter-narcotics.
Defence is becoming one of the most important aspects of the India-US relationship. The new agreement will officially recognise India as a “major defence partner” and give it STA-1 (Strategic Trade Authorization-1) status.
This status - previously only given to Japan and South Korea in Asia - will make it easier for India to import high-tech defence and space technology.
The new deal will replace the current 10-year defence agreement signed in 2015 and also include the Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap agreed upon in May 2023.
Apart from this big framework, both countries are also working to simplify defence trade and technology sharing.
They’re reviewing strict rules like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and are exploring a Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) agreement to make things smoother.
The US wants to sell more defence equipment and work on joint production to improve military coordination.
At the same time, India is pushing the US to speed up delivery of GE-404 engines for its Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets.
It’s also eager to finalise the co-development of GE-414 engines for future jets like Tejas Mk-2 and AMCA.
Talks are ongoing for co-producing “Javelin” anti-tank missiles and “Stryker” combat vehicles in India. India is also looking to buy six more P-8I Maritime Patrol aircraft to boost surveillance in the Indian Ocean.
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