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

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.