# Rajnath raises U.S. support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet with Hegseth at ADMM-Plus in Cebu

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-29/rajnath-hegseth-f16-admm-plus-cebu/
Date: 29 October 2026 (2026-10-29)
Source: The Hindu, Page 12
UPSC papers: GS2, GS3
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** At the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu on 28 October 2026, Rajnath Singh told U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of India's concern over U.S. support for Pakistan's F-16s, while the two reviewed their 10-year defence framework.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on 28 October 2026 in Cebu, the Philippines, on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), held on 28 and 29 October under the Philippines' chairmanship. According to sources cited in reports, Singh conveyed India's concerns over U.S. sustainment and modernisation support for Pakistan's F-16 fighter fleet, and warned that advanced defence technology supplied to Pakistan could reach third parties, given Islamabad's close ties with Beijing. Singh called for a zero-tolerance approach towards countries that support, train or finance terrorist groups, and Hegseth reaffirmed U.S. support for India against cross-border terrorism.

The package at issue was notified to the U.S. Congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency on 8 December 2025. Estimated at $686 million, it includes 92 Link-16 data-sharing terminals, software and hardware modifications, encryption devices and spares, and is meant to extend the life of Pakistan's F-16 fleet through 2040. India has long objected to such support because Pakistan has used F-16s against India, including in the air engagement after the Balakot strike in 2019. The two ministers also reviewed progress under the 10-year Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defence Partnership, which they signed on 31 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the 12th ADMM-Plus.

Their discussion covered operational readiness, technology sharing, defence industrial cooperation, maritime security, military exchanges and resilient defence supply chains. Singh described the India-U.S. defence partnership as a cornerstone of a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific. In Cebu he also met Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi; they agreed to speed up preparations for the fourth India-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministers' (2+2) meeting and a defence ministers' meeting in Tokyo. The episode shows a recurring tension: India deepens defence ties with Washington while the U.S. keeps a separate security relationship with Pakistan.

## Prelims facts

- Rajnath Singh met U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on 28 October 2026 at the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, and raised U.S. support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet.
- The $686 million package, notified to the U.S. Congress on 8 December 2025, aims to keep Pakistan's F-16s flying through 2040.
- The 10-year Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defence Partnership was signed on 31 October 2025 in Kuala Lumpur.
- ADMM-Plus brings together ASEAN defence ministers and eight Dialogue Partners, including India and the U.S.; its first meeting was in Hanoi in 2010.
- India co-chairs the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for 2024 to 2027.

## Quick recall

- **Where and when was the 13th ADMM-Plus held?** Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines, 28 and 29 October 2026.
- **Who is the U.S. Secretary of War that Rajnath Singh met in Cebu?** Pete Hegseth.
- **Value of the U.S. F-16 package for Pakistan notified in December 2025?** About $686 million.
- **Until when does the package extend the life of Pakistan's F-16s?** Through 2040.
- **When and where was the 10-year India-U.S. defence framework signed?** 31 October 2025, Kuala Lumpur.
- **Where was the first ADMM-Plus held?** Hanoi, Vietnam, October 2010.
- **Which ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group does India co-chair for 2024 to 2027?** Counter-Terrorism, with Malaysia.
- **Which India-U.S. foundational agreement covers geospatial cooperation?** BECA (2020).

## Prelims practice question

Which of the following countries are among the eight Dialogue Partners in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus)?
1. India
2. Pakistan
3. New Zealand
4. Russia
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (b) 1, 3 and 4 only. The eight ADMM-Plus Dialogue Partners are Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. Pakistan is not a member.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2020, GS2: What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q087-significance-indo-us-defence-deals-over-indo-russian-defence/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Shows the depth of Indo-U.S. defence ties for Indo-Pacific stability, and the Pakistan F-16 issue as a persistent limit.
- UPSC Mains 2024, GS3: India has a long and troubled border with China and Pakistan fraught with contentious issues. Examine the conflicting issues and security challenges along the border. Also give out the development being undertaken in these areas under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and Border Infrastructure and Management (BIM) Scheme. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q317-india-has-long-troubled-border-china-pakistan/)

## Mains practice question

India's growing defence partnership with the United States coexists with continued U.S. military support to Pakistan. Examine how India should manage this contradiction, with reference to the October 2026 Rajnath Singh-Hegseth meeting. (150 words)

### Model answer

On 28 October 2026, at the 13th ADMM-Plus in Cebu, Rajnath Singh raised U.S. support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet with Pete Hegseth, even as both reviewed their 10-year defence framework.

## The contradiction
- A $686 million U.S. package (notified December 2025) extends Pakistan's F-16 life to 2040, with 92 Link-16 terminals.
- Pakistan used F-16s against India after the 2019 Balakot strike; India fears technology leakage to China.
- Yet India and the U.S. signed a 10-year defence framework on 31 October 2025.

## Managing it
- **Raise concerns directly**, as Singh did, while keeping cooperation on track.
- **Deepen interdependence**: co-production and technology sharing under the framework raise India's value to Washington.
- **Diversify partners**: Japan 2+2, ASEAN ties and domestic production.
- **Multilateral pressure on terror financing**: zero tolerance for states backing terrorist groups.

## Conclusion
Strategic autonomy means pursuing U.S. ties on India's terms without expecting Washington to abandon Pakistan.

## The basics

## Why this matters
India-U.S. defence ties are a core GS2 topic, and the U.S.-Pakistan relationship is the classic irritant in them. The Cebu meeting of 28 October 2026 brings both together, at a forum, the ADMM-Plus, that Prelims likes to test.

## The ADMM-Plus
The ADMM-Plus is the defence ministers' forum of ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. It first met in Hanoi in October 2010 and has met every year since 2017. The 2026 meeting, the 13th, was held on 28 and 29 October in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, with the Philippines in the chair. India co-chairs the forum's Experts' Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for 2024 to 2027.

## How India-U.S. defence ties were built
The relationship rests on a series of agreements and designations. The U.S. named India a Major Defence Partner in 2016. India then signed the Foundational defence agreements, which allow secure communications, logistics support and sharing of geospatial data. In 2025 the two signed a new 10-year framework.

## The Pakistan problem
The U.S. has supplied F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan since the 1980s. In December 2025 it notified a $686 million package to keep Pakistan's F-16s flying through 2040. India argues these jets have been used against it, including after the Balakot strike in 2019, and that U.S. technology could leak to China.

## Reading the meeting
India did not let the F-16 issue derail the meeting: the ministers reviewed the framework and supply chains. This is how Strategic autonomy works in practice: deep cooperation with Washington, open disagreement on Pakistan, and parallel partnerships such as Japan's 2+2.

## Sources

- https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/world/rajnath-singh-holds-talks-with-us-secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-1999522
- https://www.gktoday.in/rajnath-singh-raises-concerns-over-us-f-16-package-for-pakistan/
- https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2625810/pakistan
- https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/india/2025/india-251031-india-pib01.htm
- https://www.gktoday.in/india-to-participate-in-13th-admm-plus-meeting-in-philippines/
- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/29-10-2026/india-raises-concern-over-u-s-support-for-pakistan-s-f-16-jets-pg12-fb418819-c01f-4e7c-b9e0-2b308f2c06e6