Washington D.C./New Delhi: The United States has issued a strong warning regarding China’s unprecedented military expansion, describing Beijing’s defence build-up as “historic.” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stressed the urgent need to strengthen America’s defence industrial base, a message that carries direct implications for India’s security calculations in the Indo-Pacific region.
China’s Expanding Naval Dominance
Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum, Hegseth said China’s military growth is now “visible from miles away.” He highlighted the country’s rapid naval expansion, its increasingly sophisticated nuclear arsenal, and deepening defence cooperation with Russia.
China, he said, now possesses “the world’s largest navy,” and is accelerating the modernisation of its nuclear capabilities. While China builds up to eight warships in the time the U.S. produces two or fewer, Beijing’s shipbuilding capacity currently exceeds that of the United States by over 230%, according to forum moderators.
Hegseth argued that the most effective U.S. response would be to boost domestic production capacity. “The most important thing we can do is refocus on our internal strengths and urgently rebuild our defence industrial base as the arsenal of freedom,” he said. He added that the Trump administration had already undertaken a “comprehensive overhaul” of stockpiling, procurement, and foreign military sales.
Why It Matters for India
Although Secretary Hegseth did not directly mention India, his remarks align closely with New Delhi’s own concerns over China’s expanding military footprint. India closely monitors China’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean, militarisation of the South China Sea, and strategic cooperation with Pakistan.
A stronger U.S. industrial and naval posture in the Indo-Pacific would support regional stability—an outcome that aligns with India’s strategic interests.
India has deepened its defence partnership with the United States through the Quad framework, joint military exercises, and advanced technology cooperation. As Washington categorises China as its “pacing challenge,” U.S. efforts to modernise defence production reinforce India’s own priorities for military upgradation.
Through the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), the Pentagon has expanded cooperation with India on jet engines, combat systems, maritime domain awareness, and supply chain resilience. A robust U.S. defence industrial base is expected to complement India’s capacity to maintain a favourable power balance in the Indo-Pacific.
New Technologies and Counterterrorism Cooperation
Hegseth also touched upon counterterrorism and anti-trafficking operations, another critical area in U.S.–India cooperation. He disclosed that he had authorised a missile strike off the coast of Venezuela, describing it as a move taken with full awareness of its strategic implications. The action, he said, forced drug networks in the Caribbean to alter their operational patterns.
Looking ahead, Hegseth emphasised that future warfare will be defined by artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems. Drawing from battlefield lessons in Ukraine, he said AI could increase “sensing speed by 10, 100, or even 1,000 times,” drastically reshaping military operations.
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