The Quiet Resilience of U.S.–India Defense Cooperation

Despite a year marked by tariff battles, confusion over Washington’s China policy, and the shock of the 2025 India–Pakistan war, one part of the U.S.–India relationship has held firm: bilateral defense cooperation. The two sides recently announced a new defense framework, are deepening links between their private sectors, and are boosting military-to-military ties. To review the state of the U.S.-India defense relationship and to help unpack the secrets of its success, Milan is joined on the show this week by Sameer Lalwani . Sameer is a senior advisor with the Special Competitive Studies Project and a non-resident senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund . Sameer and Milan discuss how the U.S.-India defense partnership has survived the general tumult in the relationship, the significance of a recently signed defense framework agreement, and the future of defense co-production and co-development. Plus, the two discuss Inda’s lessons learned from Operation Sindoor and whether China still serves as the glue that keep these two powers together. Watch this episode on YouTube . Episode notes: 1. Sameer Lalwani, “ Don’t Call it a Comeback: Why US-India Relations are Due for a Rebound ,” Special Competitive Studies Project, November 20, 2025. 2. Sameer Lalwani and Vikram J. Singh, “ How to Get the Most Out of the U.S.-Indian Defense Partnership ,” War on the Rocks, February 11, 2025. 3. “ Why Washington Is Wooing Pakistan (with Uzair Younus),” Grand Tamasha , October 1, 2025. 4. “ From Convergence to Confrontation: Trump’s India Gambit (with Ashley J. Tellis),” Grand Tamasha , September 24, 2025. 5. “ Can Europe be India's Plan B? (with James Crabtree),” Grand Tamasha , September 17, 2025. 6. “ How This India-Pakistan Conflict Will Shape the Next One (with Joshua White),” Grand Tamasha , May 21, 2025. 7. “ Operation Sindoor and South Asia’s Uncertain Future (with Christopher Clary),” Grand Tamasha , May 14, 2025.

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The Quiet Resilience of U.S.–India Defense Cooperation is an episode from Grand Tamasha by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

This episode is 00:52:28 long.

This episode was published on Dec 10, 2025.

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