Highlights:
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The 2026 US defense policy bill calls for expanding strategic cooperation with India, especially through the Quad.
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The legislation prioritizes strengthening alliances in the Indo-Pacific to counter China.
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The bill outlines wider military engagement, defense trade, maritime security cooperation, and joint exercises with India.
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A new security initiative will link the defense industrial bases of the US and partners, including India.
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The bill seeks a joint US–India assessment on nuclear liability rules.
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India is specifically named as an “ally or partner nation” for the purposes of the Act.
The US defense policy bill for Fiscal Year 2026 places significant emphasis on expanding strategic engagement with India, with a clear focus on strengthening cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The legislation highlights the need for deeper alignment between Washington and India, particularly through the Quad, to address China’s growing influence and maintain a stable regional order.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2026, released by Congressional leaders on Sunday (7), outlines the “sense of Congress on Defense Alliances and Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region.” The bill states that the Secretary of Defense should continue efforts to strengthen US alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific to advance the “comparative advantage of the US in strategic competition” with China.
India and the Quad at the Center of Indo-Pacific Strategy
A major part of the bill centers on “broadening US engagement with India, including through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.” The Quad, formed in 2017 and comprising India, the United States, Japan, and Australia, is described as a critical platform for supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. The document notes that engagement with India should expand through bilateral and multilateral military exercises, defense trade, and collaboration on humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The bill further highlights the importance of maritime security cooperation with New Delhi.
The text reiterates the continued relevance of the Quad as a counterweight to China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific. By reinforcing military, strategic, and industrial ties with India, the US aims to support collective security and enhance operational coordination among partner countries.
Industrial Collaboration With India in the Indo-Pacific
The bill includes provisions requiring the Secretary of Defense, working jointly with the Secretary of State, to create and maintain a new security initiative. This initiative is designed to strengthen cooperation among the defense industrial bases of the United States and key allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. India is listed among the countries that may be invited to participate, along with Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and New Zealand.
According to the text, the purpose of this initiative is to expand “capability, capacity, and workforce,” while improving supply-chain security, interoperability, and resilience across partner nations. A joint process will determine which countries, including India, will take part as member states.
India in the Joint US–India Nuclear Assessment Mechanism
A separate section of the draft bill addresses nuclear cooperation rules. Under the heading “Joint Assessment Between The United States And India On Nuclear Liability Rules,” the NDAA instructs the Secretary of State to establish a consultative mechanism with the government of India.
This mechanism will operate under the existing US–India Strategic Security Dialogue and will “assess the implementation of the Agreement for Cooperation between the US Government and Government of India Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, signed in Washington in 2008.” The mechanism will also evaluate opportunities for India to align its domestic nuclear liability rules with international norms. The draft states that a report must be submitted within 180 days of the Act’s enactment and annually for five years.
