India-US Defence Partnership 'Consequential Pillar' Of Relationship: Jaishankar-Hegseth Meet
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The Print
37 minutes ago
- The Print
Trump White House hopeful about signing defence pact with India, finalising pending arms deals
The new defence partnership would not only focus on procurement of weapon systems but also include co-production arrangements for Javelin anti-tank guided missile and Stryker armoured combat vehicles. This was after US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth held a meeting Tuesday night with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar at the Pentagon. New Delhi: The US expressed hope that major pending American arms deals with India would be finalised and that the two countries would formally sign the new 10-year Framework for the 'US-India Major Defense Partnership.' A procurement deal for six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft between India and US is also nearing completion which would further strengthen India's surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). India inducted its first P-8I in 2013 after signing a $2.1 billion deal with the US in 2009 for eight aircraft. A follow-on order for four more was placed in 2016, with the final aircraft delivered in 2021. The upcoming ten-year agreement follows previous defence frameworks signed first in June 2005 by then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and later renewed in June 2015 by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter. 'The United States is very pleased with the successful integration of many US defense items into India's inventory,' Hegseth said during his meeting with Jaishankar. '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 co-production efforts, strengthen interoperability … between our forces, and then formally sign a new 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership … which we hope to do very soon.' Hegseth also added that both countries recognised shared security challenges in the region and were capable of responding to them jointly. 'Almost right at the beginning of the administration, President Trump and Prime Minister Shri Modi set a strong foundation for our relationship, which we're building on here today: productive, pragmatic and realistic… and our nations boast a rich and growing history of cooperation driven by a shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,' he added. Jaishankar pointed to the growing significance of defence ties between the two nations. 'We believe that our defence partnership is today truly one of the most consequential pillars of the relationship. It's not built merely on shared interests, but we believe in 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.' Hegseth further underlined US efforts to equip India with the capabilities needed to address threats in the Indo-Pacific. Incidentally, ahead of the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting in Washington, the four Quad members had launched their first-ever joint Coast Guard-led at-sea observer mission on Monday aimed at improving interoperability and promoting maritime safety in the Indo-Pacific. The mission adds a new layer to QUAD maritime cooperation, shifting from conventional naval exercises toward coast guard coordination. It builds upon established defence cooperation among the members, such as the annual Malabar naval drills. Beijing has consistently criticised the Quad, accusing the group of seeking to contain its influence and of 'inciting confrontation.' Earlier the same day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also held a separate telephonic conversation with Hegseth, urging the US to expedite delivery of the GE F404 engines for the Tejas Mk1A fighter which has been delayed by over two years. Singh also pressed for faster finalisation of an agreement for joint production of F414 engines by GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). These engines are intended for the Tejas Mk2 and the initial version of India's indigenously developed fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). In February, when he met PM Modi, Trump had publicly endorsed the potential sale of F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighters to India. However, the joint statement made no mention of the aircraft. 'The leaders pledged to accelerate defense technology cooperation across space, air defense, missile, maritime and undersea technologies, with the US announcing a review of its policy on releasing fifth generation fighters and undersea systems to India,' it said. Currently, India operates several US-origin platforms such as the Lockheed Martin C‑130J Super Hercules, Boeing's C‑17 Globemaster III, P‑8I Poseidon maritime aircraft, AH‑64E Apache attack helicopters and CH‑47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Additionally, India operates M777 ultra-light howitzers, primarily along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and has placed orders for 31 MQ‑9B Reaper (Sea Guardian/Sky Guardian) armed HALE UAVs developed by General Atomics. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: IAF lost 'some' jets in Op Sindoor over political constraint to not hit military—Indian Defence Attaché
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Surjewala's visit aimed at preparing ground to unseat Karnataka CM: BJP
Bengaluru: The Karnataka BJP claimed on Wednesday that the visit of Congress National General Secretary and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala to the state is aimed at preparing the ground to oust Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Addressing a Press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan in Bengaluru, BJP State President and MLA, B.Y. Vijayendra alleged that Surjewala had come to the state to prepare the ground for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation and though he has camped in the state he has shown no concern about the failure of this corrupt government. He claimed that Surjewala was speaking to legislators to gather their opinion and the competition for the CM's post was intensifying and the state would witness political horse-trading. Referring to Ramanagara Congress MLA Iqbal Ansari's statement that Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar has the support of 100 MLAs and should be the next CM, Vijayendra said that senior Congress MLAs like B.R. Patil and Raju Kage are also openly speaking against the Chief Minister. "The CM has lost the confidence of even his own party MLAs," he asserted, and appealed to the Governor to take note of possible horse-trading. Responding to the Chief Minister's remark that 35–40 deaths in Hassan were possibly due to COVID vaccination, Vijayendra asked, 'Was COVID vaccine administered only in Hassan? The vaccine was given to crores across India and exported to countries around the world.' He urged the state government to conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths in Hassan and condemned the CM's statement as irresponsible. He also urged the government to convene an emergency meeting and ensure adequate medicine stock at the taluk and district levels. Commenting on Minister Priyank Kharge's statement regarding a possible ban on the RSS, Vijayendra ridiculed it as "a daydream of a pauper." He sarcastically stated that even Mallikarjun Kharge, who is Priyank's father and the National President of the Congress party doesn't believe that the Congress will come to power. He added that not even senior Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi or Sonia Gandhi believe the Congress can return to power at the Centre. He further stated that the RSS is a nationalist organization, and even Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed the Sangh's contributions during the India-China war and allowed it to participate in the Republic Day parade. "Nehru and Indira Gandhi had banned the RSS, but it was later revoked. Calling for another ban reflects a lack of historical understanding," he said. Vijayendra hailed the Karnataka High Court's order transferring the investigation into the Valmiki Tribal Development Corporation case to the CBI as a victory for the BJP's fight. "This is a major judgment. Bigger names will be exposed. The BJP welcomes the verdict," he stated. He also claimed that due to BJP's sustained pressure, CM Siddaramaiah was forced to drop Minister B. Nagendra from the Cabinet. 'The CM is now desperate to bring him back. The media knows very well that the CM himself is involved in the scam. Money could not have gone out of state without Finance Department approval,' he alleged. Vijayendra said the situation in the state is deteriorating daily, the administration has collapsed, and Congress MLAs are locked in a power struggle. "The race for the CM's chair is intensifying. As a result, no developmental work is happening, and the government is ignoring farmers' issues," he criticized.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Maritime law, minerals, resilience: Quad expands Indo-Pacific focus
In a significant move, the Quad grouping has launched an initiative to ensure the availability of critical minerals under a broader goal of strengthening economic security amid concerns over China's coercive tactics, including price manipulation in the decision on rolling out the "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative" was announced after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping in the US capital on readout of the meeting said the new initiative is an "ambitious expansion" of the Quad partnership to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical mineral supply chains. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya."This new flagship initiative, alongside the high-impact programmes and outcomes the Quad is realising, will enable our four countries to bring economic opportunity and prosperity to our people and the region," it a joint statement, the Quad foreign ministers expressed "deep concern" over the "abrupt constriction and future reliability" of key supply chains, specifically for critical minerals."This includes the use of non-market policies and practices for critical minerals, certain derivative products, and mineral processing technology," they said without directly mentioning underscore the importance of diversified and reliable global supply chains. Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harm our economic and national security," they said.A fact-sheet unveiled at the end of the meeting said the Quad is expanding maritime law enforcement cooperation which will support efforts to curtail illicit maritime activity, including piracy, drug trafficking, infringements on border security, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated also noted the launch of the first-ever "Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission" this initiative is aimed at strengthening interoperability and knowledge-sharing to address unlawful maritime activities across the this month, the Quad will hold the second maritime legal dialogue to advance efforts to uphold maritime order, the document said the "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative" will strengthen cooperation on priorities such as securing and diversifying reliable supply chains, and electronic waste, critical minerals recovery and re-processing."The Initiative will expand the Quad's cooperation on supply chain resilience measures for critical minerals, and we look forward to coordinating with private sector partners to facilitate increased investments," it added.- Ends
