The United States Embassy in India has marked the first anniversary of the US-India Major Defence Partnership framework, underscoring the steady expansion of defence cooperation between the two countries across multiple domains.

The framework, signed on 31 October 2025 by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, serves as a guiding blueprint for the evolving defence relationship between New Delhi and Washington over the coming decade.

In a message shared on X, the US Embassy described the agreement as a landmark framework that directs bilateral defence engagement. It highlighted several priority areas, including operational coordination, information sharing, regional and global cooperation, defence industrial collaboration, and joint efforts in science and technology.

Emphasising the breadth of the partnership, the embassy stated: “Advancing cooperation across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.” The framework reflects the growing strategic convergence between the two democracies amid an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific security environment.

The anniversary comes shortly after Rajnath Singh met his American counterpart Pete Hegseth in Cebu, the Philippines, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). 

Their discussions built upon the momentum generated by the signing of the 10-year framework, which established a long-term roadmap to deepen military cooperation, defence innovation, industrial partnerships and strategic coordination.

The agreement was formally signed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus on 31 October 2025. According to India’s Ministry of Defence, the framework is designed to provide a unified strategic vision and policy direction for strengthening defence ties between the two nations and enhancing interoperability between their armed forces.

Following the ASEAN meetings, Rajnath Singh departed for New Delhi after completing a series of high-level engagements. In addition to his talks with Hegseth, he held bilateral meetings with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles. He also met Philippine Defence Minister Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul and Singaporean Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, reflecting India’s continued efforts to deepen regional security cooperation.

During the 13th ADMM-Plus, Singh reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening defence partnerships with ASEAN member states and promoting peace, stability and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific. He proposed the creation of an ‘India-ASEAN Youth Bridge’ aimed at expanding people-to-people links, encouraging digital innovation and supporting capacity-building initiatives for young people across India and Southeast Asia.

The Defence Minister also reiterated India’s commitment to regional security and counter-terrorism cooperation. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he highlighted India’s approach towards combating terrorist infrastructure and enhancing collective efforts against transnational security threats.

ADMM remains ASEAN’s highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism, while ADMM-Plus brings together the bloc’s member states and eight dialogue partners, namely India, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The platform has emerged as a key forum for advancing defence cooperation, strategic dialogue and confidence-building measures across the Indo-Pacific.

India became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1992, and the inaugural ADMM-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on 12 October 2010. Since 2017, defence ministers participating in the grouping have met annually to strengthen military cooperation and address shared security challenges.

The Philippines currently serves as chair of ADMM-Plus for 2026. Within the ADMM-Plus framework, India and Malaysia are co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism for the 2024-2027 cycle.

India’s active role in these mechanisms highlights the growing importance of its defence diplomacy in Southeast Asia under the Act East policy, which seeks to promote regional stability, security cooperation and shared economic growth.

ANI