Explained: The two new US-India agreements, signed as part of growing defence ties

Two new agreements

SOSA: Under SOSA, the US and India will provide reciprocal priority support to each other for goods and services that promote national defence. It will “enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs”, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said in a statement.

India is the 18th SOSA partner of the US. While SOSA, according to the DoD, are an important mechanism to strengthen interoperability with US defence trade partners, it is legally non-binding. The DoD has been working to conclude another agreement with India, the Reciprocal Defence Procurement (RDP) Agreement, which will be binding.

RDP Agreements are intended to promote rationalisation, standardisation, interchangeability, and interoperability of conventional defence equipment with US allies and other friendly governments. The US has signed RDP Agreements with 28 countries so far.

MOU ON LIAISON OFFICERS: The Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers is a progression on a decision taken earlier to increase information-sharing between India and the US, and to post Indian armed forces officers in key strategic US Commands. India will deploy the first Liaison Officer to the US Special Operations Command headquarters in Florida.

India-US cooperation milestones on defence

The vision for bilateral defence cooperation was encapsulated in the September 2013 Joint US-India Declaration on Defence Cooperation and the 2015 Framework for the US-India Defence Relationship, in which the two countries committed themselves to increasing cooperation in the sector.

2023 ROADMAP: The roadmap for defence industrial cooperation released last year envisioned the conclusion of SOSA and the RDP Agreement. The US endorsed the integration of the Indian defence industry into global supply chains, and extended support to India to develop naval and maritime infrastructure to create an Indo-Pacific regional hub for ship and aircraft repair and maintenance.

Priority areas of cooperation identified in the roadmap included Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Undersea Domain Awareness, Air Combat and Support, including Aero engines, munitions systems, and mobility.

iCET: In January 2023, the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) was discussed to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation. National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Jake Sullivan discussed opportunities for greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, including co-development and co-production, and ways to deepen connectivity across our innovation ecosystems.

INDUS-X: In June 2023, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the US, the DoD and Ministry of Defence launched the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), which took forward the commitment to build a defence innovation bridge under iCET.

FOUNDATIONAL AGREEMENTS: In 2002, India and the US had signed the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) to facilitate sharing of military information. Between 2016 and 2020, the two sides signed four more agreements.

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) of 2016 established the basic terms, conditions, and procedures for reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies, and services between the two militaries.

In 2018, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), an India-specific version of the Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), was signed to secure military communication between the countries, facilitate access to advanced defence systems, and enable India to optimally utilise its existing US-origin platforms.

The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) of 2020 aimed to facilitate the sharing of military information including maps, nautical charts, and other unclassified imagery and data.

Additionally, in 2019, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA) to the GSOMIA was signed to facilitate the exchange of classified information between the defence industries of the two countries.

Other deals and sales

In 2016, the US designated India as a Major Defence Partner. Commensurate with this designation, in 2018, India was elevated to Strategic Trade Authorisation tier 1 status, which gave it licence-free access to a range of military and dual-use technologies regulated by the US Department of Commerce.

Earlier in 2012, the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI) agreement was signed to promote industrial cooperation and defence trade between the two countries.

There is also a Memorandum of Intent between the US Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Indian Defence Innovation Organization-Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX).

Big-ticket Indian military procurements from the US include MH-60R Seahawk multirole helicopters, Sig Sauer Rifles, and M777 ultra light howitzers.

Negotiations are underway to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA MK 2 fighters, and to procure 31 MQ-9B High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UAVs. Deliveries of the GE-F404 engines for the LCA Tejas Mark-1A are underway.