In a telephonic conversation on Tuesday, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth reviewed the progress of India-US defence cooperation and explored new avenues to deepen strategic and industrial collaboration.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Defence, both leaders discussed enhancing long-term defence ties, including military training, joint exercises, interoperability, logistics sharing, and integration of defence industrial supply chains. They agreed on the need to further build momentum across all key areas of the partnership.
Singh expressed gratitude for the US’s consistent support in India’s fight against terrorism and praised Hegseth’s leadership in elevating the bilateral defence relationship. Hegseth, in turn, invited Rajnath Singh for an in-person meeting in the US to continue strengthening defence ties.
In a post on X, Singh stated, “Had a telephonic conversation with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth to review ongoing and new initiatives aimed at deepening the India-US defence partnership. I look forward to meeting him soon.”
This marks the third such conversation between Singh and Hegseth since the latter assumed office earlier this year.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also met Hegseth at the Pentagon and described India-US defence relations as “one of the most consequential pillars” of their bilateral engagement. Hegseth echoed this sentiment, noting the successful integration of US defence systems into India’s forces and outlining plans to enhance co-production networks and complete major pending defence deals.
The continued high-level engagements underscore a growing strategic convergence between India and the US, particularly in defence, industry collaboration, and regional security.
