By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Special Forces
Indian and US Forces have carried out many major exercises and have had more than 50 military related exchanges till date. A modified LEMOA agreement, which enables militaries of both countries access to each other’s logistics facilities only for supplies and repairs has become operative.
India in this regard leveraged its position and agreed to sign agreements that are beneficial to both in equal measures and on equal terms.
Bilateral defence cooperation is based on mutuality and can never be hostage to signing of foundational agreements like LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA legislated unilaterally by one of the partners.
Therefore both LEMOA and COMCASA had to be modified by the USA to obtain Indian approval. Unlike NATO and such other countries, India is not joining a defence pact against China or Russia that it has to rush into the American Safety Umbrella.
Therefore suggestions by a section of Indian analysts to sign the pending third foundational military pact with the United States in order to neutralise an imaginary Russia-China-Pakistan (RCP) axis seems strange if not conspiratorial.
For the larger interest of the country and also stability not only in the Indian Ocean Region but also the wider Indo Pacific, India must not be seen as erecting blocks against China.
We ourselves have the ability to deal with China, clearly shown by Doklam crisis on the land borders and Maldives crisis in the Indian Ocean.
The first surgical strike post URI and the second surgical strike post PULWAMA against terrorist bases has further underlined the importance of India and its independent International Policy.
In fact a careful study of Foreign policy and Military imperatives done by many neutral analysts indicates that there has to be a bigger effort to have an open cooperation among all stake holders to avoid peddling of individual agendas and for avoiding all kinds of even unintended threats to peace in IOR and Indo Pacific.
Till date China has not actually violated any pact signed by it but has only been opposing a few of the so called “ international norms” imposed initially by the European Powers and thereafter by USA. Its growing economic power should not be seen as posing threat as such but should inspire others to follow suit.
And in case China tries any military misadventure then before it knows it will get choked both in the IOR and the Indo Pacific by a resurgent India,Japan and ASEAN itself.
Yes India-US strategic cooperation in various fields makes eminent sense for both countries as one is the largest democracy by geographical size and the other the largest democracy by population.
India has already signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the US and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)and hence there is no hurry to sign the third, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) till we achieve a certain level of advancement. India does not need to sign the third pact to obtain cutting-edge weapons and communications systems from the US.
In its own national interest, US needs to sell certain advanced technology to India otherwise it will be a matter of just time before India gets it on its own. Nexus between irresponsible powers for spread of terrorism and spread of nuclear warheads, ballistic missiles and military hardware is a matter of concern not only for India but also for the other countries in the world. Therefore India is also giving full boost to Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Therefore India is ever ready to cooperate on terms of equality with US, Russia, China, Japan, France, Germany, Brazil, South Africa to establish a cooperative security framework for peace and stability in the entire world.
At the regional level India is already cooperating with ASEAN, BIMSTEC and SAARC on one side and Iran, Central Asia, the Arab World, Israel and Afghanistan on the other side. It has also been engaging African, South American countries, rest of Europe and Oceania too.
