The US-India defence relationship is growing rapidly, adapting to regional and global security demands. This includes securing supply chains, advancing critical and emerging technologies, and enhancing cooperation in new dimensions of cyber, space, and battlefield dominance. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s August 23-26 visit to the US highlighted these changes, aimed at bridging bilateral gaps in these critical areas. The visit underscored a clear trend: while major defence deals continue to strengthen traditional security ties, the two countries are emphasizing emerging strategic elements to integrate the security partnership with a purposeful intent towards making the Indo-Pacific region free and open. Issues central to joint India-US interests in the Indian Ocean and the security of the Indo-Pacific are being prioritised. India’s growing role in shaping regional security by ensuring freedom of navigation, now specifically as a member of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), was acknowledged. With India assuming leadership of Combined Task Force 150 in 2025, the stakes have risen for an expanded regional security role for New Delhi.
Indo-Pacific Region
As the Indo-Pacific region remains central to regional and global security, enhancing partnerships in the region is key to shaping a regionally conducive security architecture. Towards this end, the visit provided an opportunity to take stock of steps to enhance supply chain security as well as maritime security in the Indian Ocean. One of the highlights was a new agreement to expand and strengthen operational coordination between India and the US, with Indian liaison officers to be placed in US commands. The agreement is a step for India to enhance regional security coordination and domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific, complementing the previous initiative of hosting US officers at the Information Fusion Centre in India (IFC-IOR). It also addresses the capacity limitations of India, indeed any country, to fully monitor the vast expanse of the Indo-Pacific on a real-time basis. Beyond the Indo-Pacific, placing Indian liaison officers in the other 10 combatant commands can open up new dimensions in information sharing.
The main objective of the visit was to strengthen the Major Defence Partnership (MDP) and provide new impetus to joint production, including relaunching the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). An agreement was signed to jointly produce jet engines, unmanned platforms, munitions and ground mobility systems under the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation. The discussions were timely to enhance cooperation in areas of undersea and space-related cooperation, ahead of the third summit of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (Indus-X) to be held in the US in September.
What is SOSA?
The most significant outcome of the visit was the signing of the Security of Supply Agreement (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 the two countries while safeguarding supply chains from future disruptions. SOSA complements the Major Defence Partnership (MDP) and the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Specifically, the visit was aimed at re-energising DTTI, a co-production initiative launched with high hopes but which 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 stakeholders from the defence industries of both countries. The primary goal of DTTI is to integrate the defence industrial bases of the US and India, promoting bilateral co-development, co-production and co-sustainment efforts.
SOSA strengthens the partnership by establishing security arrangements for supply chains between the defence industries of both countries, which are set to grow with new co-production and co-development opportunities. Guided by the US Defense Priority and Allocation System (DPAS), this arrangement provides structural and institutional assurances for defence supplies. In turn, India is expected to develop a common code of conduct for government and industry stakeholders to prioritise critical supplies to the US on a voluntary basis. With SOSA in place, the working groups will have a framework to communicate more frequently and take proactive steps to ensure supply chain stability in both peace and crisis situations.
The diaspora as a ‘living bridge’
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s reference to the Indian diaspora in the US as a ‘living bridge’ now resonates 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 Critical and Emerging Technologies Initiative (ICET). By connecting researchers, investors and defence tech companies from both countries, Indus-X outlines a strategy to harness private capital for defence innovation.
India and the United States are adapting to the rapidly evolving global security landscape, responding to new threat perceptions by enhancing innovation and collaboration in advanced domains. The second US-India Advanced Domain Defense Dialogue (AD3) held this year underscored the importance of coordination in emerging defense areas, including space, cyber, and artificial intelligence, as well as identified key sub-sectors for potential industrial collaboration.
The next goal
The Defence Minister also visited the Naval Surface Warfare Centre in Memphis with a delegation from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), indicating a possible avenue for co-learning and development. To boost India’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, India secured the purchase of sonobuoys from the US ahead of the visit. The acquisition and co-production of General Atomics’ MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft system and joint production of GE F414 jet engines in India are the next major targets for the two countries.
Rajnath Singh’s visit has once again underlined that defence is the main driving force when it comes to determining the direction of US-India bilateral relations.
(Harsh V Pant is Vice President of Studies at ORF and Professor at King’s College London. Vivek Mishra is a US Fellow at ORF.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal views of the authors
