Pariksha SaathiRaksha Mantri Rajnath Singh meets US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Philippines; the two review the 10-year India-US Defence Framework
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held a meeting with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines, on 28 October 2026, to review the progress under the India-US Major Defence Partnership, the Ministry of Defence said. Both sides noted the robust progression of their foundational security agreements and explored fresh pathways to accelerate operational readiness, technology sharing and defence industrial integration. During a review of regional security, both nations emphasised their joint resolve to eliminate terrorism: the Raksha Mantri stressed that the global community must maintain an uncompromising, zero-tolerance approach towards nations that support, train or fund terrorist organisations, and Secretary Hegseth reaffirmed the United States' unwavering solidarity and full support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. The two leaders reviewed the progress of the 10-year India-US Defence Framework and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further elevate the India-US defence relationship to strategic convergence; the discussions touched upon advancing military-to-military exchanges, augmenting maritime security collaboration and integrating robust defence supply chains to deepen defence industry collaboration. In a post on X, Rajnath Singh described the meeting, held on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus, as excellent and termed the India-US partnership a cornerstone for a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific. In a separate release, the Ministry said that Rajnath Singh also met Japan's Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi on the margins of the ADMM-Plus in Cebu the same day, and that Rajnath Singh said their discussions explored new avenues to further strengthen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 31 October 2025 Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where delegation-level talks were followed by a one-to-one meeting. After the meeting the two leaders signed the 'Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership'; the Ministry of Defence said the 2025 framework marks a new chapter to further transform the partnership over the next 10 years and is intended to provide a unified vision and policy direction to deepen defence cooperation. In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said the framework would provide policy direction to the entire spectrum of the India-US defence relationship, calling it a signal of growing strategic convergence that would herald a new decade of partnership, and said defence would remain the major pillar of the bilateral relations. Hegseth reiterated that India is a priority country for the US in defence cooperation and that the US was committed to working closely with India to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific; in his own post he said the framework advances the bilateral defence partnership, a cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence.
Check yourself: where and when was the 'Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership' signed, and over how many years is it meant to further transform the partnership?
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the sidelines of the 12th ADMM-Plus, on 31 October 2025; over the next 10 years.
Revision task: from this release, note where and when the two ministers met, what each said on terrorism, the framework they reviewed and the areas of cooperation discussed; from the note, when and where the US-India defence framework was signed, the period it covers and what it is meant to provide.
Test yourself
In which city did Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh meet US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on 28 October 2026, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus)?
Show the answer
Answer: Cebu, Philippines
Rajnath Singh met Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, on 28 October 2026; in his post on X he referred to it as the 13th ADMM-Plus. The two reviewed the progress of the 10-year India-US Defence Framework and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further elevate the India-US defence relationship to strategic convergence.
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