AIR Spotlight: India-United States Defence Industrial Cooperation

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio News on air. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.

This article is about the discussion on: ‘India-United States Defence-Industrial Cooperation’.

Participants:

• Lt. General Sanjay Kulkarni: Defence Expert
• Ajay Banerjee: Journalist

Context – India-U.S bilateral talks to firm up an ambitious roadmap for defence industrial cooperation. 

Outcomes of the bilateral talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his American counterpart Lloyd J Austin

• India and the U.S. will fast-track cooperation in technology which will enable the co-production of equipment used for air combat and land mobility systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, munitions and the undersea domain. The commitment to co-developing key defence platforms underscores the shared vision for a strong strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation.
• The two countries decided to launch negotiations for two crucial agreements related to the Security of Supply Arrangement and Reciprocal Defence Procurement in an effort to establish stable supply chains of arms and equipment.
• Both countries welcomed the establishment of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), an extraordinary initiative by the US-India Business Council set to launch on 21st June.

• • INDUS-X is an initiative which aims to foster innovative partnerships between Indian and US companies, startup accelerators, investors and academic research institutions, supplementing existing government-to-government collaboration.

• Read more about INDUS-X in the linked article.

Four Foundational Agreements between India and the U.S – for deep military cooperation between the two countries:

1. General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) 

1. • GSOMIA was signed in 2002 to pave the way for greater technology cooperation in the military sector.

        2. Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)

• • LEMOA was signed in 2016 and facilitates port calls (intermediate stop for a ship on its scheduled journey mostly for the purpose of refuelling and replenishment), joint exercises, training, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.

        3. Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)

• • COMCASA was signed in 2018 and enables the acquisition of cutting-edge technology for encrypted communications and high-tech hardware.

        4. Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)

• • BECA was signed in 2020, to get real-time access to American geospatial intelligence to enhance the accuracy of automated systems and weapons like missiles and armed drones.

For details on GSOMIA and COMCASA check the Military Agreement Between India and the US on the linked page.

Prime Minister’s Visit to the US (21 – 24 June 2023)

• The potential biggest outcome is expected to be the approval for the joint production of the GE- 414 engines which will power India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk2 and other indigenous fighters that India plans to develop including the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) and the twin-engine deck- based fighter (TEDBF).
• India is also on course to buy 30 MQ-9B Predator Drones from the US for its three services, army, air force and navy. The plan is to buy 30 Predator Drone, 10 for each service in a deal estimated to be worth $3 billion.

India and the US committed to collaborate closely in support of a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region

Both countries are committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the states are respected and countries are free from military, economic and political coercion. 

• The India – US partnership is the cornerstone of a free and open Indo-Pacific and both countries have a unique role in preserving rule-based international order.
• One of the main objectives of the QUAD is to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
  • The QUAD is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations – USA, India, Australia and Japan.
• India will be the leader of the QUAD Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) initiative in 2023. This initiative allows the partner countries to fully monitor the waters on their shores and help ensure peace and stability in the region to take on China’s increasingly intimidating behaviour.
• China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea. China has also intensified its assertiveness in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. 
• By taking the lead in the QUAD IPMDA initiative, India is widening its footprints into a larger number of countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Launched at the Tokyo Summit in May 2022, IPMDA is bringing cutting-edge satellite-based radio frequency (RF) data to partners around the region, enhancing their maritime domain awareness, and equipping them to better monitor their waters.

About iCET

 India and the US announced in May 2022 the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) to elevate and expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the two countries.

•  The iCET is expected to forge closer linkages between the government, academia and industry of the two countries in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 5G and 6G, biotech, space and semiconductors.

Conclusion – India -US defence and security relationship has continued to deepen, aided by robust political commitments in both countries and converging concern over China’s assertiveness across the Indo-Pacific region. 
Read previous AIR Spotlight articles here.

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