Hosted by President Donald J. Trump on February 13, 2025, the recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States marks a turning point in India-US relations. Completing the tour with a joint launch of the “US-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunity for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century” emphasizes the growing strategic convergence between the two countries. Anchored in shared democratic values, mutual trust, and strong people-to-people ties, this cooperation has far-reaching consequences for global and regional politics, especially in geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption, and a pressing need for sustainable development.
Published during the visit, the joint statement shows a thorough and aspirational agenda, including defense, commerce, energy, technology, and multilateral cooperation. It indicates a fresh will to turn the India-US partnership into a pillar of modern world governance. The main results of the visit are discussed in this editorial and their consequences for world and regional affairs. The COMPACT initiative’s defense component significantly advances India-US military collaboration. The news of a fresh ten-year framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership in the 21st century highlights the developing strategic alignment of the two countries. Based on earlier accords, this framework seeks to improve interoperability, co-production, and technology exchange.
Including procurement and co-production of Javelin Anti-Tank Guided Missiles and Stryker Infantry Combat Vehicles in India, the dedication to expand defense sales and co-production reflects a pragmatic approach to meet India’s defense needs while enhancing its indigenous defense industrial base. Employing a review of arms transfer rules, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the quest for a Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) agreement, the decision to simplify defense trade shows a mutual will to overcome bureaucratic obstacles and promote deeper cooperation.
Aimed at scaling industrial collaborations in autonomous technologies, the introduction of the Autonomous Systems Industrial Alliance (ASIA) emphasizes the increasing relevance of modern defense capabilities in Indo-Pakistan. The potential for cooperative invention and manufacturing is shown by US and Indian company partnerships like Anduril Industries and Mahindra Group for marine systems and L3 Harris and Bharat Electronics for active towed array systems. Through improved training, exercises, and operations, the focus on raising military cooperation across all spheres—air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace—signals a shared commitment to preserving regional security and fighting developing threats. With its enlarged scope and complexity, the following “Tiger Triumph” tri-service exercise highlights the developing operational cooperation between the two militaries. These events have important ramifications for regional security, primarily because of China’s increasing aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific. India and the US are ready to maintain a free, open, and rules-based order by strengthening defense links.
The COMPACT project has similarly transformed economic dimensions. With “Mission 500,” which aims to more than quadruple bilateral commerce to $500 billion by 2030, reflecting a shared commitment to promote economic development, innovation, and job creation, The declaration of intentions to negotiate a multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by autumn 2025 points to a realistic approach to removing long-standing trade restrictions and improving market access. Early actions to show mutual commitment, like US policies to boost Indian mangoes and pomegranates and India’s tariff cuts on US items such as bourbon, motorcycles, and ICT equipment, underscore the possibility for win-win results. The emphasis on strengthening trade in agricultural commodities and industrial products and improving supply chain integration highlights the complementary character of the two economies. Driven by a rising economic interdependence between the two countries, the dedication to push greenfield investments in high-value sectors—best shown by Indian investments in the US valued at about $7.35 billion—shows. These bets in areas such as aluminum, steel, battery materials, and drugs not only generate employment but also help to strengthen world supply networks.
The U.S.-India Energy Security Partnership’s reaffirmation emphasizes energy cooperation’s role in promoting innovation and economic development. The dedication to boosting hydrocarbon output, growing strategic petroleum reserves, and boosting energy commerce shows a shared knowledge of the need for steady and reasonably priced energy markets. Supported by changes to India’s Atomic Energy Act and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, the decision to proceed with plans to build US-designed nuclear reactors in India marks a significant step towards realizing the full possibilities of the US-India 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement. This cooperation might revolutionize the energy scene in India and support worldwide initiatives against climate change.
With the start of the US-India TRUST (“Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology”) project, bilateral cooperation on important and developing technologies opens a fresh path. Emphasizing fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, and space demonstrates a common goal of preserving technical leadership in the twenty-first century. Particularly for semiconductors, vital minerals, and drugs, the dedication to creating strong and trustworthy supply chains emphasizes the strategic relevance of lowering reliance on hostile countries. The start of the Strategic Mineral Recovery project and the focus on cooperation in space exploration—including proposals for an Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS)—showcase the transforming possibilities of this alliance.
The Quad partnership’s reaffirmation and the US’s and India’s willingness to promote projects like joint airlift capacity for disaster response and maritime patrols underline the increasing influence of both countries on the Indo-Pacific area. The Indian Ocean Strategic Venture’s launch and the Middle Eastern and Western Indian Ocean’s emphasis on creating new plurilateral alliances reflect a common aim of promoting regional connectivity and stability. The dedication to fighting terrorism—including the extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India—emphasizes the need to tackle common security issues. The demand that Pakistan bring the attackers of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to justice shows a strong will against cross-border terrorism.
The focus on enhancing people-to-person ties—including initiatives to simplify legal movement and cooperation across higher education institutions—emphasizes the continuing strength of the India-US connection. The acknowledgment of the contributions made by the Indian student community to the US economy and the dedication to solving human trafficking and illegal immigration point to a harmonic strategy to promote mutual development and security.
With President Trump’s second term characterized by a more confrontational approach towards China, stressing economic decoupling, technological competition, and military deterrence, the visit has significant geopolitical ramifications, especially amid the continuous US-China rivalry and the changing balance of power in Asia. Reflecting a pragmatic approach to avoid Cold War-style binary rivalries, Prime Minister Modi’s visit confirmed India’s strategic autonomy, as seen in its continuous ties with Russia and engagement with China on border stability and multilateral forums like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, signaling India’s alignment with the US on many of these issues, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Regionally, the deepening Indo-US cooperation is likely to upset Pakistan, which has always depended on US support but now faces a tougher US stance on terrorism, so providing an opportunity for India to strengthen its position as a regional leader and work with the US to promote stability in South Asia.
With Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US and the start of the COMPACT project, India-US ties enter a new chapter. The two countries have set the path for cooperation that is transformative for their people and essential for world peace, prosperity, and stability by tackling everyday issues and using complementing assets. The India-US alliance is a lighthouse of hope and a paradigm for cooperative leadership in the twenty-first century as the planet negotiates an era of hitherto unheard-of transformation.