India's Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh reacts during Asean-India Defence Minister Informal Meeting at the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday, October 31, 2025. -- Photo: FAZRY ISMAIL / REUTERS
SOUTH ASIA (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The United States and India have signed a 10-year defence cooperation framework agreement, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
Earlier in the day, Hegseth met with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM-Plus) in Malaysia.
"I just met with [Rajnath Singh] to sign a 10-year US-India Defence Framework … Our defence ties have never been stronger," Hegseth said on X.
On Thursday, India’s Defence Ministry announced that Singh is scheduled to speak at the ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur on November 1, under the theme "Reflection on 15 years of ADMM-Plus and Charting the Way Forward". As part of the event, the second informal meeting between Asean and Indian defence ministers, chaired by Malaysia, was held on Oct 31.
Defence ministers from all Asean member states are expected to take part in discussions focused on enhancing regional defence and security cooperation and advancing India’s Act East policy.
The ADMM serves as Asean's highest consultative and cooperative body in the field of defence. The ADMM-Plus platform brings together Asean’s 11 member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam - along with eight dialogue partners: Russia, India, the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
