Ten years after the 9/11 attacks (by September 2011), the strategic ties between the United States and India underwent a dramatic transformation, moving from a period of estrangement—stemming from India's 1998 nuclear tests—to a robust partnership focused on counter-terrorism, defense, and long-term geopolitical alignment. The attacks provided a common vocabulary to fight terrorism, allowing India to align its security concerns regarding Pakistan-sponsored militancy with the US-led Global War on Terror.