India, US to sign 10-yr defence pact, says Pentagon; Rajnath-Hegseth meeting on the cards

India and the United States have agreed to sign a new 10-year defence partnership framework when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh meets his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth in the coming days, a Pentagon spokesperson said.

This decision was made during a phone call between Singh and Hegseth on Tuesday, said senior US defence spokesman Colonel Chris Devine. Hegseth also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Pentagon on the same day.

“On 1 July, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth spoke with India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Secretary Hegseth stressed how important India is as a key US defence partner in South Asia,” Colonel Devine said.

Singh and Hegseth discussed the progress made towards achieving defence goals outlined in the joint statement issued by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2025. They also spoke about major pending US defence sales to India and the need for closer defence industrial cooperation.

“Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh agreed to sign the next 10-year US-India defence framework when they meet later this year,” Devine said, though no specific timeline for the meeting has been set.

During Hegseth’s meeting with Jaishankar, the two sides discussed the defence partnership, regional security concerns in the Asia-Pacific, and progress on advanced technology policy. They also welcomed the upcoming INDUS-X Summit, a bilateral defence technology forum, and the launch of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA).

The US Department of Defence noted that Trump and Modi laid a strong foundation for the partnership, which Hegseth described as “productive, pragmatic and realistic.”

Hegseth said the US is pleased with how US defence equipment has been integrated into India’s military and hopes to finalise more major defence sales, boost defence industrial cooperation, enhance co-production efforts, and strengthen interoperability between the two nations’ forces.

Jaishankar said India values its strong relationship with the US but sees room for deeper cooperation. “We believe that our defence partnership is one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship. It’s not built merely on shared interests, but on deepening convergence—of capabilities and responsibilities,” he said, adding that cooperation in the Indo-Pacific is crucial for strategic stability.

Both sides also plan to take part in the next India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, aiming to further defence industry collaboration and technological innovation, according to the US statement.