What Happened
- India and the US held the 18th India-US Defence Policy Group (DPG) meeting in New Delhi, reaffirming their commitment to expanding strategic defence cooperation across multiple domains.
- The DPG reviewed regional security dynamics including the situation in West Asia, and explored avenues to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership.
- Both sides discussed advancing military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training exchanges, and strategic dialogues.
- The meeting assessed progress in co-development and co-production, reviewed the air-launched UAV project under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), and discussed new areas of cooperation in space, AI, cyber, and counter-UAV systems.
- The inaugural meeting under the Industrial Security Agreement in India was welcomed as a step towards enabling classified defence industrial collaboration with Indian private sector firms.
Static Topic Bridges
India-US Strategic Partnership: Evolution and Architecture
The India-US strategic partnership has evolved significantly since the signing of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) in 2004, progressing through the Civil Nuclear Agreement (2008), the Defence Framework Agreement (2005, renewed 2015), and the Major Defence Partner designation in 2016. The relationship is now described as a "Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership," with the Quad, iCET, and 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue as its structural pillars. The DPG is the defence policy coordination apex mechanism, sitting below the 2+2 Ministerial (which involves the Defence and External Affairs Ministers with their US counterparts). The broader strategic architecture is designed to address shared interests across the Indo-Pacific, from maritime security to emerging technologies.
- NSSP (2004): first structured strategic partnership framework
- Civil Nuclear Agreement (2008): transformed the relationship fundamentally
- Major Defence Partner designation (2016): unique status for India in US law
- 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue: Defence and Foreign Ministers of both countries; above the DPG
- Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership: current formal designation of bilateral ties
Connection to this news: The 18th DPG meeting operates within this broader strategic architecture — its outcomes reflect the maturation of a decades-long strategic partnership now focused on concrete technology co-development.
Regional Security Dynamics: West Asia and Indo-Pacific
India maintains significant strategic and economic interests in West Asia (the Middle East): approximately 9 million Indian diaspora, crude oil imports (about 85% of India's oil needs come from West Asia and Russia), and trade worth over $180 billion annually. The DPG discussions on West Asia reflect shared India-US concerns about maritime security in the Red Sea, energy supply disruption, and the Iran nuclear question. In the Indo-Pacific, India participates in MALABAR (trilateral naval exercise with US and Japan), and bilateral exercises such as YUDH ABHYAS (Army), COPE INDIA (Air Force), and INDRA (with Russia). Military-to-military engagement through the DPG framework is designed to build interoperability for joint operations in these theatres.
- Indian diaspora in West Asia: ~9 million (largest overseas Indian community)
- India's oil dependence: ~85% of crude oil requirements from imports, West Asia is key supplier
- MALABAR exercise: India, US, Japan; held since 1992, trilateral since 2015
- YUDH ABHYAS: Annual India-US Army exercise
- Red Sea crisis: Houthi attacks on shipping affecting India's trade routes since late 2023
Connection to this news: The DPG's discussion on West Asia situates India-US defence cooperation within a live regional security context, underscoring the real-world operational relevance of the strategic partnership.
India's Defence Exports and Self-Reliance Goals
India has set an ambitious target of achieving defence exports of ₹50,000 crore (approximately $6 billion) by 2029, up from ₹21,083 crore in 2023-24. The government's defence export push is supported by the Positive Indigenisation Lists (banning import of 300+ items to promote domestic production), PLI schemes, and DPSUs (Defence Public Sector Undertakings) like HAL, BEL, and BDL. Defence co-production with the US — such as the GE F414 engine technology transfer to HAL for the Tejas Mark 2 fighter — represents a direct pathway to building indigenous production capacity. Joint production allows technology absorption and increases export competitiveness.
- Defence exports target: ₹50,000 crore (~$6 billion) by 2029
- FY 2023-24 actual exports: ₹21,083 crore — highest ever
- Key export markets: Armenia, Philippines, Vietnam, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius
- GE F414 engine deal: technology transfer to HAL under India-US co-production framework
- DPSUs: HAL (aircraft), BEL (electronics), BDL (missiles), BEML (vehicles)
Connection to this news: The DPG's co-production priority review directly supports India's defence export targets — co-production arrangements with the US provide technology transfer that strengthens India's domestic manufacturing and global defence competitiveness.
Quad and Multilateral Defence Cooperation
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) — India, US, Japan, Australia — is the primary multilateral framework complementing the bilateral India-US defence partnership. Reconvened at leader level in March 2021, Quad has established working groups on vaccines, clean energy, critical and emerging technologies, infrastructure, space, and cyber security. The India-US DPG's focus on AI, space, and cyber directly overlaps with Quad's technology agenda. The Quad's Maritime Domain Awareness initiative — sharing satellite and surveillance data to monitor the Indo-Pacific — is operationally relevant to the DPG's military-to-military cooperation discussions.
- Quad members: India, USA, Japan, Australia
- First Quad leader-level summit: March 2021 (virtual); first in-person: September 2021
- Working groups: vaccines, climate, critical technologies, infrastructure, space, cyber
- Maritime Domain Awareness: sharing satellite surveillance data for Indo-Pacific monitoring
- India's position: non-alliance engagement; no collective defence obligation
Connection to this news: The DPG's bilateral defence cooperation on AI, space, and cyber closely mirrors the Quad's multilateral technology agenda, showing how bilateral and multilateral mechanisms reinforce each other.
Key Facts & Data
- 18th India-US DPG meeting: New Delhi, March 2026
- Co-chaired by: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh (India); Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy (US)
- DPG: apex bilateral defence policy coordination body; meets annually or biannually
- India-US designated: "Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership"
- India designated "Major Defence Partner" of the US: 2016
- MALABAR exercise: India-US-Japan; trilateral since 2015
- India defence exports FY 2023-24: ₹21,083 crore — highest ever
- Defence export target by 2029: ₹50,000 crore (~$6 billion)
- GE F414 engine technology transfer to HAL: landmark India-US co-production agreement