India-US sign 10-year defense pact amid tariffs

India and the US have signed a framework agreement to expand defense cooperation over the next 10 years.

The pact was announced after a meeting between US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Kuala Lumpur.

The agreement will improve “coordination, information sharing and technical cooperation” and improve “regional stability and deterrence,” Hegseth told X.

It comes as the two countries try to hammer out a trade deal and overcome strained relations following a crackdown by US President Donald Trump 50% tariffs to Indiaincluding a 25% penalty for buying Russian oil and arms.

The agreement is expected to provide policy direction for the entire spectrum of India-US defense relations.

“This signals our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. Defense will remain a core pillar of our bilateral relationship. Our partnership is critical to ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” Singh said in an X post.

According to Prameet Pal Chaudhuri of the Eurasia Group think tank, the agreement was supposed to be concluded in July-August this year, but India’s irritation with Trump’s statements about his role in ending the conflict with Pakistan caused it to be delayed.

The pact is the latest in a series of agreements between the two countries that have made it “easier for the two militaries to achieve interoperability, India’s access to technology and the two defense sectors to work together,” Mr Chaudhuri said.

“This provides additional potential in all three areas,” he added.

India and the US have been steadily strengthening their defense ties in recent times.

Defense was a major topic of conversation between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump during the former’s visit to the US in February this year, with Trump saying the US would increase military equipment sales to India by many billions of dollars, eventually paving the way for Delhi to supply F-35 stealth fighter jets.

But since then, Delhi’s dependence on discounted Russian oil, as well as its longstanding defense relationship with Moscow, has been a major point of irritation for the Trump administration.

While Russia continues to be a major arms supplier to India, its share of Indian defense imports has steadily declined as Delhi seeks to diversify its portfolio and increase domestic capacity.

In recent months, India has hinted that it will be open to increasing US energy and defense purchases.

The two sides are engaged in high-stakes trade talks aimed at reaching a long-awaited agreement by November.

With information from Sutik Biswas, BBC India Correspondent.