Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reviewed on Wednesday the progress of a 10-year India-US defence framework pact that aims to drive strategic convergence in critical technologies, information sharing, and co-production of military hardware.
In his wide-ranging talks with Hegseth at Cebu in the Philippines, Rajnath Singh stressed that the global community must maintain an “uncompromising, zero-tolerance approach” towards nations that support, train, or fund terrorist organisations, the defence ministry said here.
Hegseth reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering solidarity and full support for India in its fight against cross-border terrorism, and Singh expressed India’s “deep appreciation” for the consistent, strong support extended by the US, it said.
The two sides also reviewed the situation in the Indo-Pacific and the fast-evolving regional security dynamics.
However, the main focus of the talks was learnt to be on taking stock of the progress on implementation of the India-US defence framework pact that was inked in October last year. It set an ambitious roadmap further to bolster the defence partnership between the two strategic partners. Hegseth and Rajnath Singh are in Cebu to attend a meeting of a grouping of nations comprising ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states and some of its dialogue partners.
In a social media post, the defence minister described his talks with Hegseth as “excellent”. He said, “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.”
The US Secretary of War, on his part, said: “Great meeting with Indian Minister of Defence Singh. We celebrated the first anniversary of the Framework for our Major Defence Partnership and explored ways to strengthen cooperation.”
The defence ministry said both sides noted the strong progress of their foundational security agreements and explored new ways to accelerate operational readiness, technology sharing, and defence industrial integration while reflecting on the ongoing collaboration.
“Both leaders also reviewed the progress of the 10-year India-US defence framework and concluded by reaffirming their shared commitment further to elevate the India-US defence relationship to strategic convergence,” it said.
“The discussions touched upon advancing military-to-military exchanges, augmenting maritime security collaboration, and integrating robust defence supply chains to deepen further and expand ongoing defence industry collaboration,” the defence ministry said.
“Secretary Hegseth and Minister Singh also exchanged views on areas for further collaboration and committed to expanding the US-India major defence partnership in support of shared interests across the region,” it said.
Rajnath Singh also held talks with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “We had productive discussions on reviewing our bilateral defence cooperation, enhancing military interoperability, and addressing regional security challenges. India places great value on its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” the defence minister said.