The firming up of the pact came amid efforts by the two sides to repair ties that came under severe strain following Washington's slapping of 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods
"We signed the 10 years 'Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership'. This will usher in a new era in our already strong defence partnership," Singh said on X after talks with Hegseth
The defence minister said the pact will provide policy direction in the entire spectrum of the India-US defence relationship. "It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership," he said
Singh is in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus), which will be held on Saturday, November 1
He landed at the Subang Airbase in Malaysia on Thursday. During his two-day visit, Singh is expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from the participating ADMM-Plus nations and engage with Malaysia's senior leadership to discuss key regional and security issues, further setting the stage for India's active participation in the upcoming ADMM-Plus
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