US Defence Secretary Hegseth Pushes Key Arms Sales And Long-Term Pact In Talks With EAM Jaishankar

The United States is pressing ahead to secure major weapons sales to India, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressing optimism about concluding several pending defense deals.

The matter came up during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington on Tuesday (1 July), as the US looks to formalise a new 10-year framework for the India-US Major Defense Partnership.

"The United States is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defense items into India's inventory," Hegseth said.

"And building on this progress, we hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defense industrial cooperation and coproduction efforts, strengthen interoperability ... between our forces, and then formally sign a new 10-year Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership ... which we hope to do very soon," Hegseth added.

India has traditionally maintained a diversified procurement strategy, balancing US offerings with longstanding ties to Russia, France and growing domestic production.

Earlier in February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump announced plans to pursue new procurements and co-production arrangements for Javelin antitank guided missiles and Stryker armored vehicles.

Also discussed was procurement for six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. 

India already operates a range of US-supplied platforms, including the C-130J, C-17, P-8I Poseidon, Chinook and Apache helicopters, and MQ-9B drones, alongside systems like Harpoon missiles and M777 howitzers.

"And our nations boast a rich and growing history of cooperation driven by a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," Hegseth said.

Jaishankar said India's relationship with the US is already strong, but more can be done. 

"We believe that our defense partnership is today truly one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship. It's not built merely on shared interests, but we believe really deepening convergence and of capabilities, of responsibilities," he said.

"And what we do in the Indo-Pacific, we believe, is absolutely crucial to its strategic stability," the EAM added.

The two sides also discussed the upcoming India–US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem Summit, aimed at advancing industrial cooperation and innovation.

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