THE IMPACT OF INDIA-US DEFENSE COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS

THE IMPACT OF INDIA-US DEFENSE COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS

- ADAM A. AZIM

Introduction

India’s elective affinity for defense cooperation with the United States began immediately after the end of the Cold War but more specifically after the attacks on 9/11 in the United States. When the United States began its operations in Afghanistan in 2001, India actually offered to base rights on Indian soil to the United States, an incredible offer that the United States ultimately turned down. Nevertheless, since 2001, defense cooperation between the United States and India has increased, albeit largely on the surface.

The Evolution and Stumbling Blocks of the India-US Defense Relationship

In 2016, India became a “Major Defense Partner” of the United States, which falls short of a conventional defense treaty. But in 2018, India gained access to 99 percent of American military technology, which is a privilege that is not afforded to many nations by the United States. Towards the end of 2020, India also signed an intelligence-sharing agreement with the United States known as “BECA” (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement). India also participates with the United States in military and naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific c region, and India contributes greatly to UN peacekeeping missions around the world but particularly in Africa where there is a large Indian diaspora.