Indo-Pacific

In the news

• Quad foreign ministers meet in Atlanta, pledge over $85 million for trusted AI access 1 November 2026 · The Hindu

  AI, chips, critical minerals and shipping lanes: is the Quad now more an economic security club than a maritime one?

• Rajnath raises U.S. support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet with Hegseth at ADMM-Plus in Cebu 29 October 2026 · The Hindu

  India calls the U.S. a cornerstone partner, yet Washington keeps Pakistan's F-16s flying. Can both be true?

• Op-ed: India-Japan defence ties move from dialogue to shipbuilding and joint drills 9 September 2026 · The Hindu

  For years India and Japan agreed on the Indo-Pacific but built little together. Is that finally changing?

Key facts

• The Quad foreign ministers met in Atlanta on 31 October 2026, on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting; it was their third meeting of 2026, after New Delhi (May) and Manila (July). (1 November 2026)
• The Quad intends to provide over USD 85 million of technical and financial assistance to widen access to trusted AI in the Indo-Pacific. (1 November 2026)
• 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. (29 October 2026)
• The $686 million package, notified to the U.S. Congress on 8 December 2025, aims to keep Pakistan's F-16s flying through 2040. (29 October 2026)
• Exercise Veer Guardian-2026 between the Indian Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is being held at Air Force Station Jodhpur from 9 to 22 September 2026; the first edition was held in Japan in 2023. (9 September 2026)
• India fields Tejas, Su-30 MKI and Rafale aircraft in the exercise, and Japan fields F-2A fighters. (9 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and the Quad's collective Indo-Pacific strategy." Make a critical…
2. 2024 · GS3 · 15 marks 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…
3. 2020 · GS2 · 15 marks 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)' is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times. Discuss.
4. 2020 · GS2 · 15 marks What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
5. 2025 · Prelims Consider the following statements: I. India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership as a member. II. India is a resource-rich country in all the 30 critical minerals that it has identified. III. The Parliament in…