India and america signed an agreement regulating the mutual use of military assets air and each other’s land for fix, a step toward building defense ties as they seek to counter the growing marine assertiveness of China.
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The logistics exchange military agreement (LEMOA) was sealed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his American counterpart Ashton Carter in Pentagon.
It’s one of three defence pacts – called foundational agreements by Americans – that the U.S. has been pressing India to sign, arguing they are meant to improve interoperability.
India has formally become a military ally of the usa after signing a Logistics Agreement that will allow American armed forces to access and use Indian military bases, the CPI-M said on Tuesday.
UPA Government had been opposing LEMOA and two other agreements, Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA).
Appreciating the U.S. government’s decision, Parrikar said: “In our discussions today, we looked at how this could provide further energy and momentum to our partnership on defence technology and manufacturing”.
“To this end, the United States has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners”, the statement added.
To this end, the USA has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level equivalent with its closest allies and partners.
In June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited United States and met President Barack Obama, the country had designated India as a “major defence partner”. The agreement marks a significant leap forward in defence cooperation between the two countries. “We appreciate the support from United States in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India’s neighborhood”, Mr Parrikar added.
Why is this agreement Historic and Important for Both the Countries?
“After reluctant attempts to revitalise Indo-Pak relations, Narendra Modi, now in his third year as Indian Prime Minister, has lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility”, it said. It cautioned that the deal would bring “strategic troubles” to Delhi and “make itself a centre of geopolitical rivalries in Asia”.
The Minister and the Secretary also discussed cooperation on capabilities to increase India’s capacity for maritime domain awareness, but surprisingly, there was no mention of India’s request for Predator drones for this goal.
Without naming China, both Mr Carter and Mr Parrikar mentioned the importance of the free flow of trade to both countries.
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Acknowledging India’s positive contributions to regional security and stability, including in matters beyond the maritime space, Carter and Parrikar announced their agreement to further consultations in the area, including through the next Maritime Security Dialogue, scheduled later this year.
