US, India expanding cooperation in defence, civil nuclear sector: Trump official

The United States and India are expanding cooperation in key strategic sectors, including defence, civil nuclear energy and emerging technologies such as trusted artificial intelligence, a senior US official said.  US Assistant Secretary of State S Paul Kapur made these remarks at a roundtable on India at the Hoover Institution, which saw the participation of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former US Ambassador to India David C Mulford.

Expanding defence and civil nuclear cooperation

“Under this (Trump) Administration, US engagement with India is creating jobs at home and strengthening supply chains that are critical to both the United States and the region,” Kapur said in a post on X on Monday.

“We are expanding defence and civil nuclear cooperation, including the adoption of trusted AI and other emerging technologies powering the economy,” the senior US official said.

India-US signed framework for defence partnership

Last year, India and the United States signed a framework for a comprehensive defence partnership aimed at enhancing interoperability across all domains, including land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.

Since 2002, India has procured a wide range of US defence platforms, including Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, and M777 ultra-light howitzers.

American nuclear power companies are keen to expand their presence in India’s civil nuclear sector.

Earlier this year, a delegation of leading US nuclear industry executives visited India to explore opportunities for collaboration with the private sector following New Delhi’s decision to ease civil nuclear liability norms through the enactment of the SHANTI law.

Trump imposed 10% tariff on goods imported from India

Earlier on July 24, US President Donald Trump imposed a 10 per cent tariff on imports from India and 16 other nations as part of a global crackdown on goods produced using forced labour. India was bracketed among countries to face a higher 12.5 per cent levy. However, Washington reduced the rate to 10 per cent after taking note of New Delhi’s recent amendment to its Foreign Trade Policy, which explicitly banned the import of products made through forced or compulsory labour.

US remains India’s largest export destination and second-largest overall trading partner. Bilateral goods trade hit roughly USD 141 billion in 2025, with Indian exports making up USD 87.3 billion of that figure.

Reports suggest more tariffs could be on the way soon, this time targeting countries accused of excess manufacturing capacity that floods global markets with cheap goods US companies can’t compete with, part of what looks like a broader effort by the Trump administration to rebuild tariff protections using legal routes less likely to face the kind of court defeat it suffered in February.

(With PTI inputs)

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