The United States and India put defence at the centre of their virtual 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue on Tuesday, moving toward a new 10-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership.
As part of the talks, top US and Indian officials also mapped next steps on defence industry and technology ties between the two countries.
The two countries discussed expanding co-operation and agreed to keep building out collaboration under the US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) initiative, which links military partnership with accelerated commerce and technology, according to a statement released by US Department of State.
“The chairs reaffirmed their commitment to promoting a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Indo-Pacific region through the Quad,” the statement said.
This comes against the backdrop of growing rift between the US and India over trade, with 50% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration coming into effect from Wednesday.
