India and the US on Friday renewed their defence framework agreement for another 10 years amid the ongoing trade tension, with defence minister Rajnath Singh calling it the beginning of a “new era” in defence cooperation between the two countries.

The agreement was inked on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus summit in Kuala Lumpur by Rajnath and his US counterpart Peter Hegseth.

The signing of the pact came amid efforts by the two sides to repair ties strained by Washington’s steep tariffs on Indian exports.

“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. This defence framework will provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US defence relationship,” Rajnath posted on X.

“It is a signal of our growing strategic convergence and will herald a new decade of partnership. Defence will remain as a major pillar of our bilateral relations. Our partnership is critical for ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

Hegseth said the renewed framework “advances our defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence”.

“We’re enhancing our coordination, info sharing, and tech cooperation. Our defence ties have never been stronger,” he posted on X.

India’s defence ministry said in a statement: “They reviewed the ongoing defence issues and the challenges that persist and deliberated upon the ongoing defence industry and technology
collaborations....”