Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke with the new U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday to discuss bilateral defence cooperation. This was their first conversation after Hegseth assumed office, preceding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S. the following week.

Both leaders acknowledged the increasing bilateral defence partnership and reinforced their commitment to strengthening ties. They also agreed to enhance support for growing defence innovation collaboration between governments, academic institutions, start-ups, and businesses.

India and the U.S. have agreed to collaborate on a comprehensive framework for defence cooperation, which aims to structure bilateral collaboration from 2025 to 2035. Minister Singh described the conversation as "excellent".

Both parties are looking to broaden the India-U.S. bilateral defence relationship, including cooperation in operations, intelligence, logistics, and defence-industrial matters. Hegseth also expressed anticipation for the next 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue and the conclusion of the next ten-year U.S.-India Defence Framework.

The U.S. and India are strengthening their defence ties, emphasizing interoperability. Progress has been made through the US-India Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, including ongoing collaboration to advance priority co-production arrangements for jet engines, munitions, and ground mobility systems.

Agencies