Parrikar met the US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter amongst other senior officials on 29 August 2016.
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During Carter and Parrikar’s bilateral meeting, the two defense leaders are expected to discuss a key logistics agreement that will enable US and Indian forces to use each other’s bases for fix and replenishment of supplies.
The Logistics agreement, termed the Logistic Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), was signed during the visit of Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar to Washington recently.
Observing that India attaches high importance to national security, the editorial said, “It feels it is an urgent task because its defence levels are a necessary condition of being a major power, rather than out of a sense of crisis that requires an intimacy to the United States”.
Carter said that the agreement is “fully mutual”, with neither nation obligated to do anything for the other, “operating together when we choose to”. This makes military engagement and exchange as well as joint operations, humanitarian assistance and relief operations easier.
Contacted by IANS, former Defence Minister Antony said: “I will not comment unless I read the agreement”.
The statement further added that the agreement gives accesss only to logistics such as fuel, for joint exercises and relief, humanitarian operations.
“When they do agree it makes all much more smoother”, he said.
“The LEMOA doesn’t have anything to do with the setting up of base”.
As the world’s largest navy, the USA naval forces operate around the world and LEMOA would make it easier for it to get support from India in joint operations, exercises, humanitarian missions.
“India and the United States have a shared interest in freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce as part of rule-based order in (the) Indo-Pacific”, Mr Parrikar said.
Both sides “agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defense technology and trade cooperation. We appreciate the support from U.S. in our efforts to eliminate terrorism in India’s neighborhood”, Mr Parrikar added. With LEMOA, India has signed two of the four.
The argument over the logistics arrangement had functioned as a vehicle for the doubt some of India’s political class has toward America, said a research associate at the Stimson Center, Shane Mason.
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“The Indian defence minister also appreciated American support in efforts to eliminate terrorism in India’s neighborhood”.
