Hegseth’s big India endorsement at Shangri-La seen as strong message to Beijing? Watch what he said

In a speech to politicians and officials from across the region, Hegseth pointed to closer cooperation between India and the United States on naval matters and co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided munitions.

“In South Asia, India is a critical anchor to hold the line. A powerful India acting in its own self interest advances our shared goal of maintaining a balance of power across the region. India is modernizing its military to carry its share of the security burden, particularly in the Indian Ocean,” said Hegseth.

“It 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. We have also committed to pursue co-production with India to advance capabilities like Javelin anti-tank guided munitions,” he added.