The two new US-India agreements signed as part of growing defence ties

  • August 28, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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The two new US-India agreements signed as part of growing defence ties

Subject: IR

Sec: India and world

Context:

  • India and the US have signed two new agreements, the latest in a series of bilateral military agreements that have enhanced defence and security cooperation between the two countries over the past decade.
  • The new agreements are: Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers.

Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA):

  • Under SOSA, the US and India will provide reciprocal priority support to each other for goods and services that promote national defence.
  • It will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs.
  • India is the 18th SOSA partner of the US.
  • SOSA is a legally non-binding agreement.

Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement:

  • India and US have been working to conclude another agreement, the Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement, which will be binding.
  • RDP Agreements are intended to promote rationalisation, standardisation, interchangeability, and interoperability of conventional defence equipment.
  • The US has signed RDP Agreements with 28 countries so far.

MoU on liaison officers: 

  • The Memorandum of Agreement is a progression on a decision taken earlier to increase information-sharing between India and the US, and to post Indian armed forces officers in key strategic US Commands.
  • India will deploy the first Liaison Officer to the US Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida.

India-US cooperation milestones on defence

  • The vision for India – US bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship.
  • 2023 roadmap for defence industrial cooperation envisioned the conclusion of SOSA and the RDP Agreement.
  • The roadmap identified priority areas of cooperation: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Undersea Domain Awareness, Air Combat and Support etc.
  • US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), 2023: The initiative aims to expand the strategic technology partnership, including critical and emerging technologies, and defence industrial cooperation.
  • India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) was launched to build a defence innovation bridge under iCET, by facilitating partnerships among Indian and US defence companies.

Foundational Agreements:

  • General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA):
  • Signed in 2002 to facilitate sharing of military information.
  • Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to the GSOMIA was signed in 2019 to facilitate the exchange of classified information between the defence industries of the two countries.
  • Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), 2016:
    • It is a modified India-specific version of the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), which US signs with countries of close military cooperation.
    • It gives access to designated military facilities on either side for refuelling and replenishment.
    • The agreement primarily covers four areas — port calls, joint exercises, training and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
  • Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA):
    • It is an India-specific version of the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA).
    • COMCASA aims to secure military communication between the two countries
    • The agreement facilitates access to advanced defence systems, and enable India to optimally utilise its existing US-origin platforms.
  • Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), 2020:
    • Facilitates the sharing of military information including maps, nautical charts, and other unclassified imagery and data.
    • BECA will allow the United States to share satellite and other sensor data with India in order to improve the Indian military’s targeting and navigation capabilities.

Other deals:

  • In 2016, the US designated India as a Major Defence Partner.
  • In 2018, India was elevated to Strategic Trade Authorisation tier 1 status, which gave it licence-free access to a range of military and dual-use technologies regulated by the US Department of Commerce.
  • There is also a Memorandum of Intent between the US Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Defence Innovation Organization-Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX).
  • Indian military procurements from the US include MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopters, Sig Sauer Rifles, and M777 ultra-light howitzers.
IR The two new US-India agreements signed as part of growing defence ties