India and US to Sign 10-Year Defence Cooperation Pact, Says Pentagon

The Pentagon has confirmed that India and the United States will sign a new 10-year defence cooperation framework before the end of this year. The announcement follows a phone call between U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during which they agreed to finalize the agreement during their next in-person meeting in 2025.

A Pentagon spokesperson highlighted that this long-term pact reflects the strategic priority Washington places on India as a key defence partner in South Asia. Their discussions covered ongoing major U.S. defence sales to India and the importance of deepening joint industrial partnerships.

India’s Defence Minister urged the U.S. to expedite delivery of GE F404 jet engines vital to the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft programme, and to finalize the joint production of GE F414 engines in partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). Delays in F404 deliveries have already impacted HAL’s delivery schedule for the Tejas Mark 1A jets.

Beyond sales and production, both nations discussed expanding defence cooperation pillars including interoperability, supply chain integration, logistics sharing, military training, joint exercises, and partnerships with like-minded countries.

This new framework builds on the momentum set by the February 2025 joint statement between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which outlined ambitious objectives for deeper defence collaboration. It marks another milestone in the growing strategic convergence between the two nations.