The United States and India today signed an important pact for reciprocal defence support to each other on the products and services that are of national importance. To address supply chain interruptions that appear suddenly and impact national security.
As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh embarked on his visit to the US, two significant agreements were signed in Washington DC. The agreements were on the Security of Supply Arrangement and a Memorandum of Agreement for appointing Liaison Officers. The United States signed SOSA by Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Industrial Base Policy. Mr Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisitions), signed the document on behalf of India.
India is the 18th country to enter into a SOSA with the US. Other partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
Vic Ramdass said the agreement represents a strong relationship between the US and India as major defense partners. He argued that such an arrangement supports the U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative. President Ramdass is looking forward to the DTTI meeting this fall, where cooperation between the defense industrial bases will be crucial. This includes initiatives for co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment. Consequently, the agreement is expected to significantly enhance defense collaboration between the two nations.
The accord will ensure that the two countries support each other by offering priority delivery of essential national defense assets. Specifically, the US will provide India with assurances through the DPAS program. Aided by the Department of Defense’s program determinations and the Department of Commerce’s authorization ratings. In return, India will implement a Code of Conduct for government and industry interactions. Furthermore, Indian enterprises will pledge to make every effort to offer priority support to the US. Consequently, this reciprocal arrangement aims to enhance defense cooperation and address potential supply chain disruptions.
The US Department of Defense states that SOSAs are essential for developing interoperability with US defense trade partners. Specifically, they institutionalize working groups and communication channels, harmonize standards and policies, and lay down procedures for anticipated supply chain interruptions during peacetime, emergencies, and armed conflicts. Furthermore, these arrangements help develop investment strategies to enhance redundancy and security. Consequently, SOSAs play a critical role in ensuring robust defense collaboration and preparedness.
While there, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will have other engagements including holding a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and meeting with Jake Sullivan, the US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The visit assumes particular significance with the close convergence in the national security perspectives between the two countries and the growing momentum in bilateral relations and defence engagements in recent years. The visit will strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, according to the Ministry of Defence. The pact for reciprocal defence will be beneficial for both the countries.
Earlier, the Defence Minister had indicated that he would be discussing strategic areas of interest and the enhancement of defence cooperation with Secretary Austin.
ANI
