US, India seek to deepen defence ties and sign key accord

Both sides are keen to sign an arms accord magnifying sales of more sensitive US military equipment to India

NEW DELHI: India and the United States signed an accord on secure military communications on Thursday that could open the way for sales of sensitive US military equipment to India.

The pact was signed after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The diplomats began talks in New Delhi to deepen political and security ties.

The world’s two largest democracies have drawn closer in recent years, seeking ways to counter-balance China’s spreading influence across Asia, notably in Pakistan, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.

“My visit is a firm indicator of what we see as India’s place among our most strategic, and I would even call them ‘consequential’ emerging partners,” Mattis told reporters traveling with him to New Delhi.

Secretary of State Pompeo says military communications agreement is a major step forward, looks forward to finalising Westinghouse nuclear reactor project in India. India's Defence minister says to carry out tri-services joint exercise with the US.

India's Foreign Minister has said that a new hotline between the US and Indian Foreign Ministers is to be established.

 



Before coming to India, Pompeo held talks in Islamabad with Pakistan’s new government and senior most generals.

The presence of US troops in Afghanistan has heightened US sensitivity to the rivalry between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. Washington and New Delhi also share concerns over Pakistan-based anti-Western and anti-Indian Islamist militant groups.

Both the Indian and US governments are keen to sign the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), which could open up the way for sales of more sensitive US military equipment to India.

“We have been discussing how we can more openly communicate back and forth because of the sensitivity of some of the technology... we have to know that when we share this with another like-minded nation, that we can keep it secure,” Mattis said.

“I think that we’re pretty much there already, on the American side,” Mattis added.

The United States has emerged as India’s second largest arms supplier, closing $15 billion worth of deals in the past decade,

Once the communications accord is in place it could lead to the sale of an armed version of Guardian drones, as Washington has so far only authorized the sale of unarmed, surveillance versions of the aircraft.

Experts believe the signing of the agreement could also reduce the chances of the United States imposing sanctions on India for looking to buy Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.

The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia, under which any country engaged with its defence and intelligence sectors could face secondary US sanctions.



However, a new defence bill proposes giving the US president authority to grant waivers when national security interests are at stake.

The United States is also pushing countries to halt oil imports from Iran after US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers that was intended to stall Tehran’s developing nuclear capabilities.

India is Iran’s top oil buyer after China, and it is seeking a waiver from the United States.

Ahead of the talks in New Delhi, a senior US State Department official said the United States was engaged in “very detailed conversations” with India over Washington’s request to completely stop India’s oil imports from Iran.

“We’re asking all of our partners, not just India, to reduce to zero oil imports from Iran and so I’m confident that will be part of our conversation with India,” the official told reporters accompanying Pompeo.