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It was Singh’s first phone conversation with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth after he was confirmed as the US Defence Secretary on January 25
News18
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed on Thursday to work on a 10-year comprehensive framework to bolster the India-US defence partnership, especially in the spheres of intelligence, logistics, operational and industrial engagement.
Singh said Hegseth reviewed various aspects of the bilateral defence ties in a phone conversation that came less than a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned trip to Washington.
It was Singh’s first phone conversation with Hegseth after he was confirmed as the US Defence Secretary on January 25.
An Indian readout of the conversation said India and the US agreed to work together to draft a comprehensive framework on defence cooperation, aimed at structuring the bilateral collaboration for the 2025-2035 period.
It said Singh and Hegseth reviewed the extensive India-US defence cooperation activities, covering “multiple domains in land, air, maritime and space.” In a post on ‘X’, the defence minister said he and Hegseth reviewed the ongoing India-US defence cooperation and explored ways to further deepen the relationship.
Singh described the phone conversation as “excellent”.
“We reviewed the ongoing defence cooperation and explored ways and means to expand and deepen the India-US bilateral defence relationship,” he said.
“We also agreed to chart out an ambitious agenda which includes operational, intelligence, logistics and defence-industrial cooperation.” “Looking forward to work closely with Secretary Hegseth,” Singh added.
Modi and US President Donald Trump, during a phone conversation on January 27, vowed to work towards a “trusted” partnership with a focus on boosting India-US cooperation in the areas of trade, energy and defence.
Following the phone talks, the White House said Trump emphasised the importance of India increasing its procurement of US-made security equipment and moving towards a fair bilateral trade relationship.
In the readout, the defence ministry said Singh and Hegseth appreciated the ongoing and “remarkable expansion” of the India-US defence partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the ties.
“In particular, the two ministers decided to work together on technology cooperation, integration of defence industrial supply chains, enhanced interoperability, logistics and information sharing and joint military exercises,” it said.
“They also agreed to provide enhanced support to the growing defence innovation collaboration between the governments, start-ups, businesses and academic institutions,” it said.
The phone conversation between Singh and Hegseth came amid some anguish in India over the US deporting over 100 Indians in a military transport aircraft.
How to boost defence bilateral ties is expected to be one of the key focus areas of talks between Modi and Trump in Washington DC.
According to the plan, Modi will travel to Washington DC after concluding his two-day visit to Paris.
The prime minister is expected to land in the American capital on the evening of February 12 and he and Trump are expected to hold the talks the next day.
It would be the prime minister’s first bilateral visit to the US after Trump assumed the presidency for a second term on January 20 following his stunning electoral victory in November.
The India-US defence cooperation has been on an upswing in the past few years.
In June 2016, the US designated India a “Major Defence Partner” paving the way for the sharing of critical military equipment and technology.
The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.
The two sides also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 which provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for the sale of high-end technology from the US to India.
In October 2020, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) to further boost bilateral defence ties. The pact provides for the sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
