Calling India a key pillar of regional stability, “a critical anchor”, US secretary of war Pete Hegseth on Saturday noted that it is modernising its military to serve shared objectives. These include “maintaining a balance of power” in the Indo-Pacific region, and collaborating with the United States on that.
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Hegseth was speaking on the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “In South Asia, India is a critical anchor to hold the line,” he said.
He also spoke of why the US would want India to act in its own interests above everything else. “A powerful India acting in its own self-interest advances our shared goal of maintaining a balance of power across the region,” he added.
“India is modernising its military to carry its share of the security burden, particularly in the Indian Ocean,” he further said. Praising India’s defence manufacturing capabilities, Hegseth said India could “support US Navy vessels”.
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“[India is] building out the heavy industrial and logistics capacity to sustain high-end military operations, including the ability to repair and maintain our shared platforms and support US Navy vessels operating forward in the theatre,” he said.
This claim of future planning comes at a time when the US is in the middle of a precarious ceasefire with Iran in a war it co-launched with Israel in February. India has called for dialogue as the way out.
Hegseth also said in his address that there is “rightful alarm” regarding China’s “historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond”.
“A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,” Hegseth said, “No state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.”
His pointed remarks on China, however, were relatively measured in light of President Donald Trump’s recent Beijing visit.
Sets defence spend target for allies, promises benefits
He outlined the Trump administration’s plans for a major expansion of US defence spending and manufacturing capacity. “America is undergoing a historic national manufacturing mobilisation of our defence industrial base. We will produce the best weaponry in the world at scale, at speed, and at a reasonable price,” he said, adding, “This is my personal commitment to all of you, and it is our President’s demand.”
He said President Donald Trump, after spending $1 trillion on defence last year, plans to make a “generational investment” of $1.5 trillion on defence this year, “to unleash America’s arsenal of freedom and expand America’s military dominance for decades to come”.
Hegseth also urged US allies and partners to increase their defence commitments. “We demand 3.5% (of GDP) from our allies and partners, and we are going well beyond that number. We expect every single ally and partner to match that kind of resolve,” he said. India currently spends about 2% of its GDP on defence.
“For those nations that rise to this challenge, that embrace responsibility as true partners, the benefits will be clear,” he added, “As our strategy states, we will prioritise working with model allies. Those nations that are most capable, clear-eyed, and ready to defend their national interests. For those nations, we are moving them to the front of the line.”
On India-US cooperation
Hegseth, further highlighting the expanding defence cooperation between Washington and New Delhi, spoke of joint production initiatives being explored.
“We’ve also committed to pursuing co-production with India to advance capabilities like Javelin anti-tank guided munitions. Real, tangible steps to improve the collective readiness of our forces,” he said.
The Pentagon chief linked India’s growing defence-industrial capabilities to broader efforts by the United States and its partners to strengthen military readiness across the region.
“This kind of industrial muscle isn’t just a long-term goal, it’s an immediate operational imperative,” Hegseth said.
