Rajnath, Hegseth reaffirm defence ties
Cebu (Philippines): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in the Philippines’ Cebu on Wednesday, during which both sides took stock of progress on operational coordination, information sharing, and defence industrial cooperation.
Both ministers exchanged views on areas for further collaboration and committed to expanding the major defence partnership between India and the US in support of shared interests across the region.
“The two leaders hailed the one-year anniversary of the Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership. They took stock of progress on operational coordination, information sharing, and defense industrial cooperation. They noted the recent bilateral exercise Yudh Abhyas, which highlighted the many areas of progress in the defence relationship,” the US Department of War mentioned in a statement.
Singh stated that the robust India-US partnership continues to be a cornerstone for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
“Had an excellent meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus. We reviewed the progress of our 10-year India-US Defence Framework, driving strategic convergence across military technology, information sharing, and co-production. Our robust partnership continues to be a cornerstone for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” Singh posted on X after the meeting.
Hegseth mentioned that he and Rajnath Singh celebrated the one-year anniversary of the framework for major defence partnership and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation.
“Great meeting with Indian Minister of Defence Singh. We celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Framework for our Major Defense Partnership and explored ways to strengthen cooperation,” he wrote on X.
According to the Indian Defence Ministry, both nations reviewed the progress of 10-year India-US Defence Framework and explored new avenues to enhance operational readiness, technology sharing and defence industrial integration.
“A key highlight of the dialogue was the review of regional security, during which both nations strongly emphasised their joint resolve to eliminate the global menace of terrorism. Raksha Mantri stressed that the global community must maintain an uncompromising, zero-tolerance approach towards nations that support, train, or fund terrorist organisations,” read a statement issued by the ministry.
“Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering solidarity and full support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. Raksha Mantri expressed India’s deep appreciation for the consistent and strong support extended by the US,” it added.
Hegseth and Singh signed the ‘framework for the US-India major defence partnership’ after the meeting on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur in October 2025. The framework marked a new chapter to further transform the partnership over the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence had stated then while emphasising that it is intended to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defence cooperation.
