3 min readNew DelhiMar 26, 2026 02:51 AM IST
India and the US on Wednesday jointly reviewed various ongoing initiatives, identified priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, while reaffirming their commitment to enhancing military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training visits and strategic exchanges, the Ministry of Defence said in a post on X.
It said that the 18th India-US Defence Policy Group meeting was held in New Delhi and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and US Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby co-chaired the talks.
“Both sides reviewed ongoing initiatives, identified priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, and reaffirmed commitment to enhancing military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, training visits and strategic exchanges,” the post stated.
The meeting and Colby’s visit to India come amid the ongoing West Asia conflict. Within days of the war, a US submarine had sunk IRIS Dena, an Iranian warship, close to the Sri Lankan coast.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who was also present in the meeting, posted on X: “Our work today turns leaders’ commitments into concrete progress-deepening our Major Defense Partnership, expanding joint production and information sharing, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific for both our nations.”
On Tuesday, Colby, while speaking at the Ananta Aspen Centre in New Delhi, said the US and India do not need to agree on everything to cooperate effectively. “What matters is that our interests and objectives increasingly converge on the most fundamental issues. Differences and even disputes are fully compatible with deepening alignment and cooperation on strategic matters,” he had said, while adding that “the roots of our partnership are deeper than optics and more durable than superficial comity; they are, rather, thickly embedded in lasting strategic mutual self-interest.”
Colby also met Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on the sidelines of the India-US Defence Policy Group meeting on Wednesday.
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The MEA in a post on X said both Misri and Colby exchanged views on advancing bilateral defence cooperation, regional security, and further strengthening the strategic partnership.
In a post, Jaishankar said both sides exchanged views on the current geopolitical scenario.
India has significantly enhanced defence cooperation with the US over the last few years. Both sides had continued to maintain strong military ties despite months of tensions over tariffs.
Last month, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) had cleared a major procurement proposal –that of six additional P8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft– from the US.
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Last month, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr., Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command had said that the security relationship between India and the US has experienced a “steeply upward trajectory”, driven by exigencies arising from greater security threats and a changing technology environment.
