India and America signed a 10-year defense deal, Rajnath Singh said – the beginning of a new era.

News Topical, Digital Desk : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday exchanged an agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, outlining the US-India Major Defence Partnership. The US signed a historic 10-year defence framework with India.

In fact, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated on X that he met with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and signed the agreement. Hegseth further stated that the agreement advances the India-US defense partnership, which he described as a “cornerstone of regional stability and deterrence.”

Announcing this, Hegseth said, "We are enhancing our coordination, information sharing, and technical cooperation. Our defense relationship has never been stronger."

What did Rajnath Singh say?

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also confirmed the signing of the 10-year agreement and described his meeting with Hegseth as "fruitful." Posting on Twitter, he wrote, "Had a fruitful meeting with my US counterpart Pete Hegseth in Kuala Lumpur. We signed the 10-year 'US-India Major Defence Partnership Framework'. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership."

This Defense Framework will provide policy direction across the entire spectrum of the India-US defense relationship. It signals our growing strategic convergence and marks the beginning of a new decade of partnership. Defense will remain a key pillar of our bilateral relationship. Our partnership is vital to ensuring a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

The meeting between Rajnath Singh and Pete Hegseth took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Defence Ministers' Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, which was held ahead of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) on November 1.

Ahead of his visit, Rajnath Singh had said that the ASEAN-India meetings in Kuala Lumpur were aimed at “further strengthening defence and security cooperation between ASEAN member states and India and advancing the 'Act East Policy'. ”

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