India Signs 10-Year Defence Framework with the U.S.

Defence Framework Latest News

• India and the United States have entered a new phase in their strategic and defence partnership with the signing of a 10-year “Framework for the India-U.S. Major Defence Partnership”.
• The agreement was formalised on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur.

Background of India-U.S. Defence Cooperation

• Defence cooperation between India and the U.S. has been one of the strongest pillars of their bilateral relationship, evolving steadily over the past two decades. 
• The partnership began taking concrete shape with the 2005 Defence Framework Agreement, renewed in 2015, which emphasised joint military exercises, maritime security, and defence trade.
• Since then, both countries have established foundational agreements to enhance interoperability and information sharing:
  • LEMOA (2016): Enabled reciprocal access to military facilities for logistics support.
  • COMCASA (2018): Facilitated secure communications between the two militaries.
  • BECA (2020): Enabled the exchange of geospatial intelligence and mapping data.
  • SOSA (2024): Ensured the security of supply chains in critical defence materials.
• The signing of the 2025 Framework extends this cooperation into the next decade, institutionalising long-term collaboration in defence manufacturing, joint technology development, and strategic coordination in the Indo-Pacific.

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Highlights of the 10-Year Defence Framework

• The newly signed framework outlines an ambitious roadmap for comprehensive defence collaboration between India and the United States. Key highlights include:
  • Unified Policy Direction: The framework provides a structured policy roadmap to enhance collaboration across military, industrial, and technological domains.
  • Technology and Industrial Cooperation: Both sides have agreed to expand cooperation in co-production and co-development of advanced defence systems, with an emphasis on indigenous manufacturing in India under the “Make in India, Make for the World” initiative.
  • Information and Intelligence Sharing: Strengthening intelligence exchange and coordination mechanisms to counter emerging security threats, including cyber and maritime challenges.
  • Joint Military Exercises: Continuation and expansion of regular bilateral and multilateral exercises such as Yudh Abhyas, Malabar, and Tiger Triumph.
  • Regional Security Commitment: Reinforcing a joint vision for a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, with deterrence against coercive activities in the region.

Significance of the Defence Partnership

• The new defence framework comes at a crucial juncture in global geopolitics. 
• The Indo-Pacific has become the epicentre of strategic competition, with China’s assertive posturing and growing influence prompting deeper security cooperation among like-minded nations. The framework thus serves multiple strategic purposes:
  • Enhancing Regional Stability: Reinforces India’s position as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Boosting Defence Technology Transfer: Encourages U.S. firms to invest and collaborate in India’s defence production ecosystem, particularly under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
  • Mitigating Supply Chain Risks: Reduces dependence on singular sources of defence imports by diversifying technology and production partnerships.
  • Countering Trade Tensions: Despite Washington’s imposition of 50% tariffs on Indian goods, both countries have demonstrated that strategic and defence cooperation remain insulated from trade-related friction.

The Indo-Pacific and Strategic Convergence

• The 10-year defence roadmap aligns closely with the shared vision of maintaining peace, freedom of navigation, and sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific region. 
• Both nations, along with partners in the Quad (India, U.S., Japan, and Australia), aim to ensure that the region remains free from coercive dominance.
• By integrating India more deeply into global defence supply chains and security dialogues, the framework enhances New Delhi’s strategic leverage while contributing to the U.S. vision of integrated deterrence in Asia.

Source: TH | IE