The US looks forward to India signing the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) at the forthcoming India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue scheduled for October 2020.
In addition, the maritime knowledge agreement is under active deliberation between India and hence the USA. Upon concluded, with all Quad nations, India will have certain arrangements.
The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is an informal strategic dialogue between India, the United States, Japan and Australia, with the common goal of developing and fostering a democratic, open and stable region of the Indo-Pacific.
The USA also posted a liaison officer at the Navy Knowledge Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) to plug Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) to increase military to military interactions.
The Information Fusion Centre serves countries that have White Shipping Information Exchange (White-shipping refers to commercial shipping information about the movement of cargo ships) agreements with India.
MDA is defined by the International Maritime Organization as an efficient understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that might impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of a country.
Recently, India posted a liaison officer at the USA Navy Central Command in Bahrain.
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA):
BECA would enable India to use the USA’s geospatial maps to urge automated hardware systems and weapons such as cruise and ballistic missiles to pinpoint military accuracy.
The BECA could be a key precursor to the procurement of armed unmanned aerial vehicles from India, much like the USA’s Predator-B.
For accurate strikes on enemy objectives, Predator-B utilises spatial data.
BECA is one of the two countries’ four foundational military communication agreements.
GSOMIA, LEMOA, CISMOA, and the other three they make India-US Defence Agreement stronger.
India initially had geospatial mapping reservations on national security grounds, but they were subsequently resolved through reciprocal consultation and discussion between the two countries.
General Security Of Military Information Agreement – (GSOMIA)
GSOMIA helps the military to share the information they have obtained.
Signed in 2002 by India.
In the 2+2 dialogue in 2019, an addition to the GSOMIA, the Economic Security Annex (ISA), was signed.
The ISA provides a mechanism for the sharing and security between the US and Indian defence industries of classified military information.
Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement – (LEMOA)
LEMOA enables both countries to have access to each other’s designated military refuelling and replenishment facilities. India and the U.S. already have a large number of joint activities, which are a long and repetitive operation, during which payments are made each time.
Signed in 2016 by India.
Communications and knowledge Security Memorandum of Agreement – (COMCASA)
COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Protection Agreement) is a variant of CISMOA unique to India.
Valid for 10 years, COMCASA intends to provide a legal structure for the transition from the USA to India of sensitive communication security devices capable of streamlining and promoting interoperability between its soldiers.
Signed in 2018 by India.
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