India, May 26 -- Amid escalating global friction and fractured supply chains, the Quad alliance on Tuesday unleashed a wave of concrete security and economic pacts, transforming the four-nation grouping from a diplomatic talking shop into an active operational powerhouse.

Meeting in New Delhi, the foreign ministers of India, the United States, Japan, and Australia sharpened their focus on a "free and open Indo-Pacific," countering economic coercion with aggressive new initiatives spanning maritime surveillance, critical minerals, and anti-terrorism defense.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signalled a definitive shift in Washington's approach, stating the objective is to transform the Quad "from a forum in which we meet and talk about ...