US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter will tomorrow sign a fresh 10-year defence framework agreement with India entailing joint development and manufacture of defence equipment and technology that is expected to help take strategic ties to new heights. Carter, who arrived in the country today on a three-day visit, began his tour with a trip to strategically important Eastern Naval Command in Vishakapatnam whose theatre of operation includes the critical South China sea region and the Strait of Malacca. He will hold wide-ranging talks with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar tomorrow evening during which India-US Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) will be a major area of focus, defence sources said. The US Defence Secretary will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides meeting External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.