India and the United States signed a 10-year defense framework agreement aimed at strengthening military and security cooperation between the two nations on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting in Malaysia.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth said the deal marks “a pivotal moment” in bilateral defense ties.

Hegseth added that the agreement “cements defense partnership as a cornerstone of regional stability and deterrence,” noting that U.S.-India defense relations “have never been stronger.”