This article covers cooperation between India and the United States by sector: defence, counter-terrorism and security, energy, science and technology, space, and health. The source is the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of February 2026.

Defence

According to the MEA brief of February 2026, India-US defence cooperation is based on the "New Framework for India-US Defence Cooperation", which was renewed for ten years in 2015. In 2016, the defence relationship was designated a Major Defence Partnership (MDP). On 30 July 2018, India was moved into Tier-1 of the US Department of Commerce's Strategic Trade Authorization license exception.

Dialogue

At the apex of the dialogue mechanisms is the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, co-chaired by India's Ministers of External Affairs and Defence and the US Secretaries of State and Defense. The fifth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue took place in November 2023 in New Delhi. The Defense Policy Group (DPG), headed by the Defence Secretary and the Under Secretary of Defense (Policy), reviews defence dialogues; the 17th DPG was held in Washington D.C. in May 2023.

The Raksha Mantri visited the US in August 2024, when a Security of Supply Arrangement (SoSA) and an MoA regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers were signed. He spoke with Defence Secretary Hegseth on February 6, 2025, and they met in person for the first time on October 31, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur at the ADMM+. After that meeting they signed the 'framework for the US-India major defence partnership'. The brief says the 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 for defence cooperation.

Other mechanisms include the Defense Production and Procurement Group (DPPG), the Joint Technical Group (JTG), a bilateral Maritime Security Dialogue, an Industrial Security Summit and the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative. The 24th India-US JTG plenary meeting was hosted by DRDO in New Delhi on February 3-4, 2026.

Agreements and procurement

Defence agreements listed in the brief are the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (2016), the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (2018), the Industrial Security Agreement (2019), the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (2020), and the Memorandum of Intent for Defense Innovation Cooperation (2018), in addition to the Security of Supply Arrangement mentioned above. The two sides signed the deal on MQ-9B Reapers in October 2024.

Defence procurement from the US amounts to more than US$20 billion. Major US-origin platforms in use include the C-130J, C-17, Apache, Chinook, MH60R helicopters and P8I. Since 2022, four US Maritime Sealift Command ships have visited Indian shipyards for repair and allied services on commercial contracts.

The India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, concluded in May 2023, seeks to fast-track technology cooperation and co-production. The India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS X) was launched in June 2023; its second summit was held in New Delhi in February 2024, followed by an INDUSX Investors Summit in September 2024.

Exercises and military exchanges

The brief states that India has the largest number of military exercises with the USA. Bilateral exercises include Yudh Abhyas (Army), Vajra Prahar (Special Forces), Malabar (Navy), Cope India (Air Force) and Tiger Triumph (tri-services). The two countries also take part in multilateral exercises such as Red Flag, RIMPAC, CUTLASS Express, Sea Dragon and Milan. India joined the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), based in Bahrain, as an Associate Partner in April 2022.

In January 2026, US Secretary of Army Dan Driscoll visited India. In February 2026, INDOPACOM Commander Admiral John Paparo visited the headquarters of India's Western Army Command, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Counter-terrorism and security

The brief describes counter-terrorism as one of the pillars of the bilateral partnership. It features information exchange, capacity building, operational cooperation and regular dialogue through the India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Counter terrorism. In 2017, both sides began a dialogue on terrorist designations. The 21st meeting of the JWG-CT and the 7th Designations Dialogue were held in New Delhi on 6 December 2025.

The Homeland Security Dialogue (HSD), established in 2010, has joint sub-groups including those on Border and Global Supply Chain Security, Law Enforcement Engagements and Cooperation, Capacity Building, and Aviation Security. US Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary Kristie Canegallo and India's Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla co-chaired the HSD in February 2024 in New Delhi. Both sides signed an MoU on cooperation in cybercrime investigations on 17 January 2025 in Washington DC.

An MoU launching the U.S.-India Drug Policy Framework for the 21st Century was signed in September 2024, and India joined the US-led Global Coalition on Synthetic Drugs, leading a working group within it. The inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India Drug Policy Executive Working Group, led on the US side by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and on the Indian side by the Narcotics Control Bureau, was held in Washington, D.C. on January 20-21, 2026.

The India-US Cyber Framework was signed in September 2016. The India-US Cyber Dialogue was held in Washington D.C. in September 2022, led by the respective DNSAs.

Energy and climate

In April 2021, an India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership was launched, with two tracks: the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) and the Climate Action and Finance Mobilization Dialogue (CAFMD). The SCEP has five pillars: Power & Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy; Responsible Oil & Gas; Sustainable Growth; and Emerging Fuels and Technologies. An Energy Storage Task Force supports the integration of renewable energy. The last SCEP Ministerial meeting was held in Washington DC on 16 September 2024.

During the Prime Minister's visit of February 2025, the leaders agreed on an Energy Security Partnership covering oil, gas and civil nuclear energy, and launched a Strategic Mineral Recovery initiative to recover and process critical minerals from heavy industries. Its inaugural expert meeting was held on 15th July, 2025. A delegation led by the Coal Secretary visited the USA in August, 2025 to explore collaboration on coal gasification.

Science and technology

The Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement signed in October 2005 was renewed for 10 years in September 2019. The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), set up by both sides in 2000, promotes joint research. The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and India's DST, MeiTY and DBT signed three Implementation Arrangements to support research collaboration in areas including AI, advanced communication networks, quantum science and biotechnology manufacturing. NSF and India's Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in February 2025. Principal Scientific Advisor Shri Ajay Sood visited the US in August 2024 for the second bilateral meeting of the Quantum Coordination Mechanism.

Space

ISRO cooperates with NASA, NOAA, the US Geological Survey and academic institutions, and the Civil Space Joint Working Group last met in Washington D.C. in January 2023, as of the brief. After the brief, its 9th meeting was held at ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on 5-6 August 2026. Recent milestones recorded in the brief include:

  • NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the joint microwave imaging satellite, launched on July 30, 2025 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre; ISRO contributed the S-band Radar and the GSLV launch vehicle, and NASA/JPL the L-band Radar
  • the launch of Indian satellite GSAT-N2 (GSAT-20) on a Falcon-9 from Florida in November 2024
  • an IA for a Strategic framework for cooperation in human spaceflight, signed by ISRO and NASA in March 2024
  • a Hyper Velocity Impact Test (HVIT) agreement signed in December 2024 for use of a NASA facility to test Micro Meteoroidal Orbital Debris (MMOD) impact on ISRO's Gaganyaan module
  • the joint ISRO-NASA mission Axiom-4 to the ISS, with Gaganyaatri Shubhanshu Shukla as Pilot, launched on June 25, 2025 and returned on July 15, 2025
  • the launch of the Bluebird 6 satellite of M/s. AST SpaceMobile, USA from SriHariKota by LVM3 on 24th December 2025

Health

Under the Bilateral Vaccine Action Program (VAP), a ROTAVAC® vaccine against diarrhoea in children was developed by an Indian company; the 35th VAP meeting was held in New Delhi in October 2023. There are more than 200 active collaborations between the US National Institutes of Health network of labs and research agencies. India participated in the US-led Global Action Plan (GAP) launched in February 2022 to end the COVID. The fifth India-US Health Dialogue was held in Washington DC on 9-12 Oct 2023, and the first meeting of the India-US Cancer Dialogue under the Cancer Moonshot programme was held on 5-6 August 2024 in New Delhi.