INDIA - US DEFENCE RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL

INDIA - US DEFENCE RELATIONS – INTERNATIONAL

News: A new chapter in defence and tech

What's in the news?

●       Earlier this month, the U.S. and India inaugurated their Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET).

●       The promise of this initiative, if fulfilled, could have a transformative impact on India-U.S. relations.

Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET):

●       The iCET initiative was launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden in May 2022.

Aim:

●       iCET aims to position the two countries as trusted technology partners by building technology value chains and supporting the co-development and co-production of items.

●       It also aims to address regulatory restrictions, export controls and mobility barriers through a standing mechanism.

Collaborations:

The iCET involves collaboration in a range of areas including

●       Quantum computing

●       Semiconductors

●       5G and 6G wireless infrastructure and

●       Civilian space projects such as lunar exploration.

Six focus areas of co-development and co-production:

●       Strengthening innovation ecosystems

●       Defence innovation and technology cooperation,

●       Resilient semiconductor supply chains

●       Space

●       STEM talent and

●       Next generation telecom.

Goals:

●       To elevate and expand Indo-US Partnership in strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of the two countries.

Key features:

1. Direct Monitoring:

●       It is directly monitored by the PMO and White house.

2. Defence:

●       On the defence front, iCET aims to expand India-US cooperation in fields like artificial intelligence and military equipment.

3. Industrial cooperation:

●       The iCET announced a new bilateral defence industrial cooperation roadmap that will be intended to accelerate defence technology cooperation.

4. Fighter jet engine production in India:

●       The USA under this has also agreed to produce a fighter jet engine in India for the indigenously manufactured Light Combat Aircraft.

●       GE Aerospace has applied for an export licence for jet engine production and phased transfer of technology to Indian entities.

Significance of iCET for India:

1. Countering Assertive China:

●       Lending urgency to the iCET is the growing convergence of Indian and US interests in managing the security, economic, and technological challenges presented by a rising and assertive China.

2. India’s alternative for dependence on Russian military technology:

●       India is also looking to reduce its over dependence on Russian weapons and military technology and to produce more weapons at home in partnership with western countries.

3. Boost to India’s technological capabilities:

●       The iCET would provide India with access to cutting-edge technology and expertise in areas that are critical and emerging in nature.

4. Economic growth:

●       Working together on new and important technologies can lead to more business between India and the US, which can help the economy grow as it will bring more investment and employment opportunities.

5. Cooperation in defence production:

●       GE Aerospace has applied for an export licence for jet engine production and phased transfer of technology to Indian entities.

6. Great deal for India:

●       The ICET has set up a range of ambitious goals which mean a great deal for India. Some of them are aspirational, others political. A few are over the top, such as the belief that the U.S. will help India to develop advanced jet engines.

Go back to basics:

India - US Defence Relations:

●       A key component of the partnership between India and the US has been India-US military relations, which are founded on the democratic ideologies of both nations and have strategic and economic common interests.

1. Strategic Partnership:

●       Defence relationship has emerged as a major pillar of India-U.S. strategic partnership with intensification in defence trade, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, and cooperation in maritime security and counter-piracy.

2. Military Exercises:

●       India conducts more bilateral exercises with the U.S. than with any other country.

●       Exercise Yudh Abhayas, Exercise Vajra Prahar, Exercise Red Flag, Exercise Cope India are some of the defence exercises.

3. New Framework for India-US Defense Relations:

●       India-US military relations have become a major pillar of the India-US strategic alliance as a result of the 2005 signing of the "New Framework for India-US Defense Relations".

●       It resulted in increased defence trade, joint exercises, personnel exchanges, coordination and cooperation in maritime security and counter-piracy, and interactions between the three defence services.

●       The India-US defense trade has increased significantly in recent years and is currently worth $21 billion.

4. Bilateral Institutional Framework:

●       Furthermore, India and the United States continue to cooperate through a series of bilateral institutional frameworks, including

○       Defense Policy Group (DPG)

○       Defense Joint Working Group (DJWG)

○       Defense Procurement and Production Group (DPPG)

○       Senior Technology Security Group (STSG)

○       Joint Technical Group (JTG)

○       Military Cooperation Group (MCG

○       Military Agreements Signed Between India and USA.

5. Shared Vision:

●       India and the United States share a common vision of a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region.

6. Inter-agency Partnership:

●       Currently, India is collaborating with US inter-agency partners, including the Political-Military Affairs (PM) Bureau, to strengthen the US-India military commercial partnership as well as the greater security alliance.

7. Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1:

●       India was moved to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 status in 2018, allowing it license-free access to a wide range of military and dual-use technologies regulated by the Department of Commerce.

8. USA and India BECA Agreement:

●       On October 27, 2020, India and the United States signed the BECA Agreement (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation) at the third session of 2+2 Ministerial talks.

●       It is primarily concerned with geospatial intelligence and the exchange of information on maps and satellite pictures for defense purposes.

●       It provides high-quality GPS navigation for Indian military equipment and real-time information for missiles to precisely target the enemy.

9. USA and India LEMOA Agreement:

●       LEMOA (Logistics-Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) is a significant agreement that strengthens and improves India-US military relations. India and the United States signed the LEMOA agreement on 29 August 2016.

●       It allows access to military refueling and replenishment facilities on either side.

●       Its goal is to give mutual logistical help all around the world.

●       It will significantly improve the Indian Armed Forces operating capabilities, especially their reaction to humanitarian crises and disaster assistance.

10. USA and India COMCASA Agreement:

●       On September 6, 2018, In the first India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue, India and the US signed the COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement).

●       The main objective of COMCASA is to facilitate military interactions, communications, and technology sharing.

●       It enables two-way communication between military officials from India and the US as well as their planes and ships in both peaceful and conflict scenarios.

●       It also authorizes the US to offer India access to its secure networks and encryption equipment.

11. USA and India GSOMIA Agreement:

●       On January 17, 2002, the governments of India and the United States signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).

●       The agreement established security guidelines and standards for protecting data transferred between the Pentagon and the Indian Ministry of Defense, as well as between US defense companies and Indian public sector defense operations (DPSUs).

●       Thus, It’s goal is to safeguard military information.

●       However, it did not address the exchange of secret information with Indian private companies.

India-US relations have grown into a "global strategic alliance" based on shared democratic principles and growing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional, and international levels.