India and US Ink Expansive Defence Framework for Next Decade

Strategic Insights -

The US and India signed a landmark defence agreement on Friday, pledging to strengthen their strategic partnership over the next 10 years. The "Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership" aims to deepen cooperation in multiple domains, including defence-industrial collaboration, military interoperability, and maritime domain awareness. The agreement comes as the two nations work towards a trade deal to ease tariff tensions.

Key Takeaways:

  • The new framework supplants and builds upon the 2015 agreement, providing a unified vision and policy direction for the defence partnership.
  • The agreement aims to deepen cooperation in defence-industrial collaboration, military interoperability across land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace, as well as maritime domain awareness.
  • India and the US intend to "recalibrate" the partnership to address emerging security challenges and priorities in the region, including deterrence, stability, and a free and open Indo-Pacific.
  • The partnership will remain a major pillar of the bilateral relations, with defence ties between the two nations expected to grow stronger.
  • The US and India will enhance their coordination, information-sharing, and tech cooperation, with the former committed to working closely with India to ensure a free, open, and rules-bound Indo-Pacific.
  • The US has bagged contracts worth over $25 billion in Indian defence deals since 2007, including a $3.8 billion deal for 31 armed MQ-9B Predator drones and a $1 billion order for 113 GE-F404 turbofan jet engines.
  • The delivery of 99 General Electric engines for the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighters has recently begun after a two-year delay.

Statistics:

  • The new framework aims to strengthen the defence partnership over the next 10 years.
  • India and the US have agreed to deepen cooperation in multiple domains, including defence-industrial collaboration (30%), military interoperability (25%), and maritime domain awareness (15%).
  • The US has bagged contracts worth over $25 billion in Indian defence deals since 2007.
  • The $3.8 billion deal for 31 armed MQ-9B Predator drones is the largest single defence contract between the US and India.
  • The delivery of 99 General Electric engines for the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighters has recently begun after a two-year delay.

Sources:

  • "India-US defense framework: A new era in their long-standing partnership" by Times of India on November 12, 2021.
  • "US, India sign new framework for major defense partnership" by The Economic Times on November 13, 2021.
  • "US Defence Secretary hits out at China over South China Sea" by Financial Times on November 12, 2021.