Overview

• Senior officials Bethany P. Morrison and Jedidiah P. Royal met virtually with India’s Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and Vishwesh Negi on August 25 in a mid-cycle review ahead of the 2+2 ministerial.
• Both sides said they aim to finalize a new ten-year Framework for the Major Defense Partnership to expand industrial cooperation, science and technology work, operational coordination and information-sharing.
• The agenda included trade and investment, energy security with strengthened civil-nuclear cooperation, critical minerals exploration, and joint counternarcotics and counterterrorism efforts.
• Participants agreed to build on progress under the India–U.S. COMPACT and reaffirmed coordination through the Quad to support a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.
• Officials described the talks as productive, with tariff actions forming the backdrop, and separate media reports of a potential jet-engine purchase remain unverified.