Has India further moved to the US after signing four defense deals recently? Will it help Washington tighten its grip over the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific? The defense deals signed between the two countries may also affect the Quad and the politics of South East Asia.
India Can Access US Goods, Services
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his US counterpart Austin Llyod on his four-day visit to Washington and signed four defense deals. The most important among those deals is the Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA). Washington will have to provide India with goods and services that promote national defense on a reciprocal basis.
The SOSA will mandate the US and India to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defense. Confirming it, the US Department of Defence said in a statement, “The arrangement 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.”
SOSA Countries
India is the 18th country to sign SOSA. Other countries in this group are the US, UK, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway. Significantly, some of these countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Will US-India Defence Industry Cooperation Be Boosted?
Defense experts believe that as India has signed SOSA, Indian companies will get priority supplies from the US firms. It will revitalize the defense industry cooperation between the two countries. It has come at a time when New Delhi is trying to shift its defense procurement and be less dependent on its old and time-tested partner Russia.
Paradigm Shift In India’s Defence Procurement
The possible paradigm shift in defense procurement is evident in what Rajnath Singh told the US Defence Secretary. He emphasized on the co-development and co-production opportunities in India in areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap. He also discussed bilateral defense cooperation, regional security, industrial collaboration, and many international issues. Quad initiative, the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region also figured in the talks between the two leaders.
No Relief From Sanctions On Russia, Iran?
But the SOSA deal is not sanction-proof. It means, that by signing this deal, India would not get any relief from economic sanctions imposed on any other country or on India now or in the future. This is the weakest point of the deal because India has defense relations with Russia, arch-rival of Washington and trade relations with Iran. The US has slapped sanctions on Russia and Iran.
US Can Deny Supplying Defence Hardware
Secondly, SOSA is non-binding, which allows the Pentagon and US defense firms to deny India from supplying any defense hardware or technology.
However, the deal is important for India because it can now buy the defense hardware and technology of its need and choice from any US company.
The deal is strategically important as it will move further closer to the US. It will boost India’s geo-strategic significance and importance in the South East Asia. Though no specific country was mentioned in the talks, experts believe the US is strengthening India to counter China and keep an eye on the South China Sea.
