The framework, signed on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting - Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, intends to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defence cooperation.
- Previously, similar defense frameworks were signed for 2005-15 and 2015-25 periods.
India-US Defence Cooperation
- Institutional & Foundational Framework
- Apex Dialogue: 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.
- Foundational Pacts:
- Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA): Signed in 2016, enabling mutual logistics support.
- Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA): Signed in 2018, allowing India to acquire secure communication equipment.
- Industrial Security Agreement (ISA): Signed in 2019.
- Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA): Signed in 2020, facilitating the exchange of geospatial information.
- Strategic and Policy Pillars
- Status: US designated as a Major Defence Partnership (MDP) in 2016.
- Trade Facilitation: US granted India Strategic Trade Authorization (STA Tier-1) status in 2018.
- Defence Industry and Technology
- Trade Volume: Defence procurement exceeds US$20 billion.
- India's inventory includes significant US-origin defense items like C-130J, C-17, P-8I aircraft, and Apache, Chinook, and Seahawk helicopters.
- Technology Push: Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap (2023) to fast-track technology and co-production.
- Innovation Ecosystem: Launched INDUS X (Defense Acceleration Ecosystem) to link start-ups and industry.
- New Initiatives Announced: Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) to increase industry partnerships and production of autonomous systems in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Trade Volume: Defence procurement exceeds US$20 billion.
- Operational Interoperability:
- Bilateral Exercises: Yudh Abhyas (Army), Vajra Prahar (Special Forces), Cope India (Air Force).
- Multilateral Exercises: Malabar (navies of India, USA, Japan, Australia).
