US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised India's military modernisation efforts at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, highlighting its growing industrial and logistics capacity.
In a region increasingly shaped by competition and coercion, such collaboration strengthens security without confrontation, builds capacity without dependency and promotes order without domination, points out Dr Kumar.
India and the US are reportedly exploring a potential meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France next week, aiming to rebuild bilateral ties after recent tensions.
India would confront a more entrenched China, a less dependable United States, and a regional order increasingly shaped by great-power bargaining over which it exercises limited influence, notes Amberish K Diwanji.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit India from May 23-26 to enhance cooperation in trade, defence, and energy, attending meetings with senior Indian officials and participating in a Quad group meeting in New Delhi.
A new report indicates India has become the world's fifth most digitalised economy and ranks fourth globally in AI performance, driven by increasing AI adoption and a strong digital infrastructure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump exchanged pleasantries and held a brief conversation at the G7 summit, their first in-person encounter in 16 months, setting the stage for high-stakes bilateral talks amidst continuing strain in India-US relations.
For the foreseeable future, the most likely outcome remains continuation of the status quo. Taiwan will remain self-governing without formally declaring independence, while China continues to apply sustained pressure short of war, predict Krishnan Srinivasan and Manoj Mohanka.
The Beijing summit may have reduced immediate diplomatic uncertainty, but it did not resolve the deeper structural contest between the United States and China. That contest appears likely to define the coming decade, notes Varun Arya.
The United States Central Command confirmed that the USS Rafael Peralta intercepted an Iranian-flagged ship, enforcing a maritime blockade against Iran. The US military is prepared to resume major combat operations if ordered by the President.
'The flip side of this is that he won't hesitate to call out India if he thinks its policies are hurting US economic interests or border US foreign policy goals.'
A new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates that India has expanded its nuclear arsenal and is developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets across China, while also maintaining focus on its rivalry with Pakistan.
Top commanders of the Indian Navy will discuss the implications of the West Asia crisis on India's energy security and review operational readiness at a three-day conference.
US Special Representative Sergio Gor met with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and Sri Lanka's stance on the Middle East crisis. The visit occurs amidst regional tensions and US efforts to secure trade routes in the Indo-Pacific.
In response to the Quad ministers' joint statement, China on Tuesday said it opposes the creation of exclusive 'small cliques' and 'bloc confrontation'.
The United States' historical strategic alignment with Pakistan, dating back to the Cold War, has consistently aimed to create a political and military parity with India, despite India's significantly larger size and resources. This long-standing relationship continues to influence regional dynamics, particularly in West Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the country refused permission for the US to land two warplanes at Mattala International Airport, citing a commitment to neutrality amidst rising tensions in the Middle East.
While tensions have eased at several friction points and mechanisms for managing the boundary have been reactivated, underlying differences persist. Disputes over naming practices in Arunachal Pradesh, continued infrastructure development on both sides, and unresolved questions regarding patrolling rights indicate that the structural gap remains, notes Dr Kumar.
David Perdue said in a post on X that the US-India relationship delivers real results through close cooperation in diverse areas, including defence, energy and through Quad engagement.
Singh emphasised that the Indo-Pacific is no more a maritime construct, but a full-fledged geo-strategic issue, and that the region is facing "a complex web" of security challenges, including boundary disputes and piracy.
Three milestones in three days signal India's growing mastery in next-generation strategic technologies spanning nuclear deterrence, hypersonic propulsion and precision stand-off strike capability.
US President Donald Trump signed the National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2026 into law, highlighting broadened engagement with India and addressing the challenge posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
India is the only significant power that all parties trust, or at least do not distrust, notes former defence secretary Ajay Kumar.
For India, China's Indian Ocean power projection, maritime domain awareness, dual-use ports, underwater surveillance, antisubmarinewarfare, naval exercises with Pakistan, pose considerable pressure, depleted India's strategic depth and marginalises Indian role, points out Srikanth Kondapalli.
India's defence expenditure surged to $92.1 billion in 2025, making it the world's fifth-largest military spender, according to SIPRI data. This 8.9 per cent year-on-year rise was primarily driven by operational and procurement needs following heightened regional tensions with Pakistan in May 2025.
The new US national security strategy signals a retreat from global dominance while reaffirming continuity in India's role in Indo-Pacific security and Quad cooperation, points out former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
The Indian government informed Parliament that India and the US are engaged in negotiations for a mutually beneficial multi-sectoral bilateral trade agreement. The two countries also cooperate on strategic, economic, and defense matters, managing divergences through high-level dialogues.
'China continues to perceive its relations with India through the prism of India-US relations, with the US using India to counter balance against China in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.'
Although the pact would focus mainly on the Pacific and the South China Sea region, any action designed to deter China with or without New Delhi's active participation is a welcome move, notes Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
India and the US have entered a new phase in their relationship, marked by greater parity, point out Harsh V Pant and Vivek Mishra.
India is increasingly a willing participant in the evolving US' Indo-Pacific strategy. While these developments are related to the perception of a growing Chinese security challenge, their implications for India's much-vaunted strategic autonomy should be a matter of deeper and closer reflection, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
'No Cold War should be reignited and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia'
The agreement was to disengage from remaining standoff sites along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), two days before a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
According to the report, the Pentagon is deploying the USS Tripoli ARG, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), part of its own strike group.
India and France have elevated their relationship to a 'special global strategic partnership,' with increased cooperation in defense, trade, and technology. The leaders also inaugurated a helicopter assembly line in Karnataka.
This includes over $15 billion of proposed investment in the infrastructure sector in the Indo-Pacific and $9 billion for shoring up American defence in the region.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's energy decisions are guided by national interest.
Four-nation grouping Quad on Tuesday launched a major new initiative for the Indo-Pacific that allows the partner countries to fully monitor the waters on their shores and help ensure peace and stability in the region, a move that comes amid China's increasingly intimidatory behaviour.
The meeting to be presided over by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Australia's Penny Wong.
'Today, as I look at our satellite -- tested, finished and ready to ship -- represents 1,642 days of grit and belief.'
