The US-India defence relationship is rapidly expanding and adapting to changing regional and global security imperatives. This includes protecting supply chains, advancing critical and emerging technologies, and enhancing cooperation in cyber, space and new dimensions of battlespace dominance. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the US from August 23 to 26 underscored these shifts, with the aim of bridging bilateral gaps in these critical areas. The visit underscored a clear trend: while major defence deals continue to strengthen traditional security ties, both countries are increasingly emphasizing emerging strategic elements to integrate the security partnership with a single-minded intent to make the Indo-Pacific region free and open.
Issues central to joint India-US interests in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific security are prioritized. India’s increasing role in shaping regional security by ensuring freedom of navigation, now most notably as a member of the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), has been recognized. With India assuming leadership of Combined Task Force 150 in 2025, the stakes for an expanded regional security role for New Delhi have risen.
The Indo-Pacific Arena
As the Indo-Pacific remains central to regional and global security, enhancing partnership in this region is essential for shaping a regionally favorable security architecture. To this end, the visit provided an opportunity to take steps to enhance supply chain security and improve maritime security in the Indian Ocean. One of the highlights was a new agreement to expand and strengthen India-US operational coordination by posting Indian liaison officers to US commands. The agreement is a step forward for regional security coordination and domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific for India, complementing an earlier initiative to host US officers at the Information Fusion Center (IFC-IOR) in India. It also overcomes the capacity constraints of India, and indeed any country, to monitor the vast expanse of the Indo-Pacific on a real-time basis alone. Beyond the Indo-Pacific, posting Indian liaison officers to the other 10 Combatant Commands could open up new opportunities for information sharing.
Central to the visit were moves to strengthen the Major Defence Partnership (MDP) and revitalise joint production, including reviving the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). Under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation, an agreement was signed to jointly produce jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions and ground mobility systems. Discussions to expand cooperation in undersea and space-related partnerships were a topical issue ahead of the third India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) summit to be held in the US in September.
What is SOSA
One of the key outcomes of the visit was the signing of the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA), making India the 18th country to enter into this agreement with the US. It reflects a shared long-term vision to seamlessly integrate the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries while protecting their supply chains from future disruptions. SOSA complements the Major Defence Partnership (MDP) and the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). The visit was specifically aimed at reviving the DTTI, a co-production initiative that was launched with high expectations but had lost momentum. The Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment will host a DTTI meeting in the coming months, bringing together government and private sector stakeholders from the defence industries of both countries. The primary objective of the DTTI is to integrate the US and Indian defence industrial bases and promote bilateral co-development, co-production and co-sustainability.
SOSA strengthens the partnership by creating barriers to supply chains between the defense industries of both countries, which are poised to grow with new opportunities for co-production and co-development. Guided by the US Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), the arrangement provides structural and institutional guarantees for defense supplies. India, in turn, is expected to develop a common code of conduct for government and industry stakeholders, prioritizing critical supplies to the US on a voluntary basis. With SOSA in place, working groups will have the framework to communicate more frequently and take proactive steps to ensure supply chain stability in both peacetime and crisis situations.
Diaspora as a 'living bridge'
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s reference to the Indian diaspora in the US as a “living bridge” resonates now in the context of the growing India-US defence relationship. This June marked the first anniversary of the US-India INDUS-X Initiative, which aims to build a defence innovation bridge between the two countries under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). By connecting researchers, investors and defence technology companies from both countries, INDUS-X outlines a strategy to leverage private capital for defence innovation.
India and the US are rapidly adapting to the changing global security landscape and responding to new threat perceptions with greater innovation and collaboration in advanced domains. The second US-India Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue (AD3) held this year underscored the importance of coordination in emerging defense areas, including space, cyber and artificial intelligence, while identifying critical subsectors for potential industry collaboration.
The following goals
The Defence Minister also visited the Naval Surface Warfare Centre in Memphis, accompanied by a delegation from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), indicating a possible avenue for co-learning and development. In support of India’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities, India secured the purchase of sonobuoys from the US ahead of the visit. The purchase and co-production of General Atomics’ MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft systems and joint production of GE F414 jet engines in India are the next major goals for both countries.
Rajnath Singh's visit underscored once again that defence is the key driver in shaping the course of US-India bilateral cooperation.
(Harsh V Pant is Vice President for Studies at ORF and Professor at King's College London. Vivek Mishra is Fellow, Americas, at ORF.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the authors
