Probably being aware of such criticism, both Parrikar and Carter took pains to stress that the agreement in no way allows the United States to set up military bases on Indian soil and neither it provides for troops to be stationed in India.
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India and the U.S. have signed an agreement on sharing military logistics, which may involve sharing each other’s military bases for repairs and resupplies. “There is no provision for any base or any sort of activities to set up a base in India”, Parrikar told reporters at a joint news conference with Carter after the two leaders held talks at the Pentagon.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has left for the usa on his second visit in eight months, will meet his American counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and carry forward talks on jet engine technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
So LEMOA has been prepared as an India-specific agreement unlike the standard Logistics Support Agreement or (and here’s another acronym) the LSA.
The agreement will allow the Indian and United States navies to have an easier time supporting each other in joint operations and exercises, and when providing humanitarian assistance, Mr Parrikar said. At the same time, it cautioned that India may lose its “strategic independence” if it leans towards the US. “The US will use Indian bases for war with the third country which will also create new enemy nations for India, particularly in the Gulf”.
However, most experts welcomed the “long delayed” agreement that has been in discussions since 2004.
Secretary Carter and Minister Parrikar last met in April during Carter’s visit to India.
The military logistics agreement between the two countries was first proposed in 2002 but India did not agree to signing the pact till earlier this year. Considering the reach and scale of the U.S. armed forces, the logistics agreement would come in more handy for them while operating and conducting exercises in this region.
The ministry also pointed out that LEMOA “would be used exclusively during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts”. However, it will significantly increase the operational capacity of the armed forces of the two countries, including in response to humanitarian crises or disaster relief. The Left party alleged that by signing such an agreement, India had acquired the formal status of a military ally of the US. Antony had said that the agreement would mean an “end of independent foreign policy and strategic autonomy”.
Parrikar clarified that the new deal would not allow for U.S. bases to be set up in India. “This does not imply we become a United States military ally. It is selling F-16 and other arms to Pakistan on the one hand, and initiating military tie-up with India on the other”, Tyagi said. “We appreciate the support from USA in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India’s neighborhood”, Mr Parrikar added. “It’s not a basing agreement of any kind”, Carter said. The Congress expresses serious concern over jeopardising India’s national, geo-global and strategic interests by signing of the LEMOA. The only similar agreement of India is with Russian Federation, which is India’s close aide in real terms.
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Surjewala further said: “Modi government has neither explained the reasons which prompted this major shift nor made the contents of the agreement public”.
