29/10/2020 - International Relations

IAS Parliament 3 years

KEY POINTS

· The signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) at the 2+2 dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States in Delhi on Tuesday marks the end of the prolonged phase of mutual trust-building and sets the stage for more expansive security cooperation.

· The BECA is the last of the so-called “foundational agreements” that the US wants its defence partners to sign. The BECA, which lets the Indian and US armed forces exchange geospatial information, follows three other agreements that aim to protect the military information shared by the US (GSOMIA), provide mutual logistics support around the world (LEMOA), and facilitate communication between the weapons platforms of the two armed forces (COMCASA).

· Unlike the Congress leadership, Prime Minister of India agreed with the armed forces that saw major security gains from these agreements and even, more importantly, the political value of deeper strategic partnership with the US.

· That has helped clear the brush for more intensive engagement between the armed forces —from interoperability to intelligence-sharing and joint defence research to production of weapons.

· As the real possibilities for bilateral and multilateral defence and security cooperation open up now, it will be wrong to view the current developments as a tactical response to the immediate military challenges that India confronts vis-a-vis China. India’s defence dialogue with the US has a longer history than either country’s concerns about China.

· Substantive and institutionalised cooperation between the two defence establishments will serve the long-term interests of a rising India and an America that is restructuring its global security burden. Acting together, Delhi and Washington will be in a better position to shape the regional and global environment in favour of peace and stability.