Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Washington: In a major boost to bilateral strategic ties, India and the US have signed a crucial logistics defence pact that will enable their militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, making joint operations more efficient.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter signed the 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA) and said it will facilitate opportunities for "practical engagement and exchange".
LEMOA facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies and services between the US and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis and provides a framework to govern them. This may include food, water, billeting, transportation, petroleum, oils, lubricants, clothing, medical services, spare parts and components, repair and maintenance services, training services, and other logistical items and services.
"They agreed on the importance (that) this framework will provide to facilitate innovative and advanced opportunities in defence technology and trade cooperation. To this end, the US has agreed to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with its closest allies and partners," said a joint statement after the pact was signed.
According to the statement, the defence ties between the two countries is based on their "shared values and interests," and their "abiding commitment to global peace and security".
Parrikar, at a joint news conference with Carter after the two leaders held talks at the Pentagon on Monday, made it clear that "there is no provision for any base or any sort of activities to set up a base in India."
"It (LEMOA) doesn't have anything to do with the setting up of base. It's basically logistics support to each other's fleet, like supply of fuel, supply of many other things which are required for joint operations, humanitarian assistance and many other relief operations. So, it basically will ensure that both navies can be supportive of each other in the joint venture operations we do, exercises we do," Parrikar told reporters. LEMOA is a very substantial enabler of the two countries to work together, the US Defence Secretary said.
Carter said the agreement would make joint operations between their militaries logistically easier and more efficient.
"What it does is make possible and make easier operating together when we choose to. It doesn't by itself -- those agreements -- those are the things that the two governments would have to agree on a case by case basis. But when they do agree, this is an agreement that makes it all go so much more smoothly and efficiently," Carter explained.
"It is fully mutual. In other words, we grant one another completely equal access and ease under this agreement. It's not a basing agreement of any kind, but it does make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient," he said. Parrikar also indicated that India is not in a hurry to sign two other foundational agreements which America has been pushing for the past several years.
The future of the two foundational agreements -- Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA); Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geospatial Intelligence -- are part of the four foundational agreements being pushed by the US for more than a decade now as part of its efforts to enhance defence ties with India. Of the four agreements, General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was signed in 2002 while the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed on Monday.
LEMOA only provides an additional means to fund necessary support and requires the approval of both countries on a case-by-case basis. For example, during a bilateral exercise with the US, the participant country's unit requires fuel for its equipment. The unit cannot make the purchase unless it can pay directly and immediately.
A LEMOA agreement allows for the purchase by establishing a value for the purchase and the terms for payment, which could be replacement-in-kind or an equal-value exchange, Carter said.
Carter said India's designation as a 'major defence partner' would allow the US to cooperate with it -- in both strategic and technological domains -- at par with its closet and most long-standing allies.
"First of all with respect to the major defence partnership agreement, that is a very substantial change. It's an enormous change from 50 years of history. And a very substantial advance over just a few months ago," Carter said.
In June when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited US and met President Barack Obama, the country had designated India as a 'major defence partner'.
"The Indian government sent us before our meeting today a very lengthy, detailed and we thought very constructive paper about how to implement the major defence partnership understanding. That's an excellent basis for the implementation of the major defence partnership," Carter said.
The major defence partnership designation, has "knocked down" the previous barriers that came in the way of defence, strategic cooperation including co-production, co-development projects and exercises, he said. Parrikar said US is one of India's primary sources of defence equipment, and while it has shared some of its cutting-edge platforms, he would like to take this forward to greater collaborative projects. The two leaders, he said, decided to significantly expand the scope and activities of Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). Carter said the designation builds on the success of last year's framework for the US-India defence relationship. "It will facilitate defence, trade and technology sharing with India on a level we reserve only for our closest friends and allies, and it will support both of what I have called the two important handshakes between our countries and our two militaries," he said.
