Strengthening U.S.-India ties amid rising world tensions

May 30, 2025

As conflicts escalate, the growing strategic and technological partnership between the United States and India is increasingly important.

Key takeaways:

The recent conflict between India and Pakistan—two nuclear-armed countries—was a stark reminder of the fragile balance of power between the two countries. It comes as President Donald Trump negotiates trade policy with India and as consecutive U.S. administrations have focused on deepening America’s relationship with the country.

Against this backdrop, the Gupta-Klinsky India Institute hosted the inaugural Hopkins India Conference at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, bringing together thought-leaders, policymakers, academicians, and corporate leaders from India and the United States to discuss the critical role of cooperation in defense, energy, technology, and diplomacy in addressing mutual challenges and driving progress toward common goals.

Here’s what to know about:

India’s expanding global role

India’s global influence continues to grow, with about 5 million Indians and people of Indian descent living in the United States and nearly 350,000 Indian students.

Those numbers reflect strong friendship between the two countries, according to Vinay Mohan Kwatra, ambassador of India to the United States. So does the trade relationship between the two nations. India’s trade with the U.S. has skyrocketed to more than $200 billion today, much of it in the energy and tech sectors. The U.S. is now one of India’s largest trading partners, importing oil, gems and jewelry, pharmaceutical products, oil, and more.

Kwatra said India brings significant strategic value to the U.S., particularly in the Indo-Pacific region where it acts as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence.

“If you look at what India brings to the table, you will find that the two economies are highly complementary,” Kwatra said. “They are not competitive…and I think that provides a very strong value-based, long-term strategic partnership.”

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, ambassador of India to the United States, at the Hopkins India Conference.

A U.S. and India partnership

Panelists said the U.S.-India relationship has deepened in various sectors, particularly in defense. Both countries share a strong commitment to combating terrorism, radicalization, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and cybercrime.

Recent attacks have highlighted the need for unity, with the U.S. expressing support for India’s defense measures, according to Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. She stressed the importance of U.S. involvement in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, noting that any crisis between two nuclear-armed states requires careful U.S. engagement.

“Once the crisis starts, it is really imperative that the United States is helping the two countries to back away from the brink of an all-out war,” Curtis said.

Technology and the new TRUST initiative

The Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) initiative, launched during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House this past March, is a key development in the U.S.-India partnership. It focuses on collaboration in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, telecommunications, and defense technology.

Kriti Upadhyaya, founder of the IndUS Tech Council, noted that the initiative represents a major milestone in U.S.-India relations, shifting from competition to co-development.

“We shouldn’t be in an AI race,” Upadhyaya said. “We shouldn’t think about who is going to build faster. We should think, how can we build together? How can we build sustainably? How can we build for the future, and how can we build in an ethical manner?”