US-India defence cooperation remains steady amid turmoil

LALWANI SAID THAT THE DEFENCE SPHERE HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT INSULATED FROM THE TURBULENCE CAUSED BY THE BREAKDOWN IN TRUST BETWEEN THE U.S. AND INDIA

- HT Correspondent

Despite a year marked by tariff battles, confusion over Washington’s China policy, and the shock of the recent India-Pakistan war, one pillar of the US-India relationship has held firm: defence cooperation. The two governments recently unveiled a new defence framework, are deepening private-sector linkages, and continue to expand military-to-military ties.

Political scientist Sameer Lalwani surveyed the state of the defence relationship on last week's episode of Grand Tamasha, the weekly podcast on Indian politics and policy co-produced by Hindustan Times and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Lalwani is a senior advisor with the Special Competitive Studies Project and a nonresident senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund. He previously served as a senior expert at the US Institute of Peace and directed the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center.