The US House of Representatives has passed a $621.5 billion Defence expenditure Bill that proposes to advance Defence cooperation with India and also maintain a military capability to deter acts of aggression in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.
Amid aggressive Chinese behaviour in the strategic region, the House of Representatives said on Friday, that the US has a national interest in maintaining the stability and security of the Indo-Asia Pacific region.
Calls for reassessing and realigning forces by the US come at a time when China has been increasingly aggressive in the disputed South China Sea region and flexing its military muscles overseas. It has this week sent military personnel to man its first overseas military base at Djibouti in the strategic Indian Ocean region.
The India-related amendment, moved by Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera, was adopted by a voice vote by the House as part of the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2018, beginning October 1 this year. The NDAA-2018 was passed by the House 344-81.
The amendment on India requires the Secretary of Defence, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to develop a strategy for advancing Defence cooperation between the United States and India.
“The United States is the world’s oldest democracy and India is the world’s largest democracy. It is vitally important to develop a strategy that advances Defence cooperation between our two nations,” Bera said.
“I am grateful this amendment passed and look forward to the Defence Department’s strategy that addresses critical issues like common security challenges, the role of partners and allies, and areas for collaboration in science and technology,” he said.
“Cooperation between the US and India enhances our own Defence and our ability to meet the evolving security challenges of the 21st century,” Bera said.
Following the passage of the National Defence Authorisation Act, the Secretary of Defence and Secretary of State have 180 days to develop a strategy for advancing Defence cooperation between the United States and India.
NDAA needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be sent to the White House for the US President Donald Trump to sign into law.
As passed by the House, NDAA-2018 asks the State Department and the Pentagon to develop a strategy that addresses common security challenges, the role of American partners and allies in India-US
Defence relationship, and role of the Defence technology and trade initiative.
It also asks them to address how to advance the communications interoperability and security memorandum of agreement and the basic exchange and cooperation agreement for geospatial cooperation.
The previous NDAA-2017 had designated India as a major Defence partner which brings India at par with closest American partners in terms of Defence trade and technology transfer.
Meanwhile, a senior Defence official on Friday said that India and US Defence relationship is on positive track.
“… [As] we look at the global order, and when we look at the evolving security environment within Asia, India’s rise and role [is] evolving, [and] we see the United States and India increasingly viewing the
region in the same way, and our interests are very much aligned,” said Cara Abercrombie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asia.