Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, on July 1 to advance the growing U.S.-India defense partnership, as both nations eye rising aggression in the Asia-Pacific region.
The two officials discussed major pending U.S. defense sales to India, the upcoming 10-Year Defense Framework agreement, and key policy reviews related to advanced military technologies, according to a Pentagon readout released July 2.
The meeting follows the February 2025 joint statement by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which emphasized deeper military and strategic cooperation between the two democracies.
Hegseth and Jaishankar also signaled strong support for the next INDUS-X Summit — a bilateral defense tech forum — and the launch of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), a new initiative focused on collaboration in unmanned and autonomous weapons systems.
“Secretary Hegseth looks forward to future high-level bilateral meetings with India later this year in order to continue building the dynamic U.S.-India defense relationship,” said Senior Defense Spokesman Col. Chris Devine.
The U.S.-India military partnership has gained momentum in recent years as both countries seek to counterbalance China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
