In a conversation between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defence under Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday, New Delhi expressed concerns over US military outreach to Pakistan and the possibility of Islamabad transferring advanced American technology to a third country, apparently China.
The talks were held during the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, held in Cebu, Philippines October 28-29.
Problems with Pakistan’s F16s
Told by officials who spoke with the Sharif administration that Singh had spoken about how he was worried about remaining support of the United States from their F-16 fleet especially after the recent announcement of $686 million upgrade for the F-16s.
India also had reservations about sensitive American military technology going to other nations via Pakistan. The officials said they spoke on Monday on condition of anonymity.
Further, Singh appealed to move away from double standards on terrorism and called on those countries to take accountability who are financing, supporting and harbouring terrorists, reiterating India’s stance that countries supporting, funding and harbouring terrorists are accountable.
India-US Defence Partnership Reviewed
Both leaders discussed the outcome of the 10-year US-India Major Defence Partnership Framework agreement that they had inked a year ago to outline a common blueprint for bolstering defence cooperation between the two countries.
Singh shared his observation on the achievements of our 10-year Defence Framework, which he stated included strategic convergence in military technology, information sharing and co-production.
Hegseth also noted the first anniversary of the framework, stating both sides had looked into ways to improve cooperation.
Emphasis on Maritime Security & Technology
The talks focused on defence cooperation in the areas of military-to-military exchanges, maritime security, building up defence supply chains, and enhancing cooperation between the two countries’ defence industries, according to the Defence Ministry.
Singh will be speaking at the ASEAN defence forum on Thursday.
The discussions highlight India’s desire to strengthen military cooperation with Washington and its concerns regarding the U.S. military aid to Pakistan and regional security issues with China.