NEW DELHI: India has signed a mutual logistics support agreement (MLSA) with Japan, with its gaze fixed on China’s expansionary behavior in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
The pact was signed by Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar and Japanese Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
The agreement provides for the creation of a framework conducive to closer cooperation, interoperability and the use of each other’s military facilities by the armed forces of the two countries, the official said.
“The agreement establishes the framework for closer cooperation between the armed forces of India and Japan in the reciprocal provision of supplies and services while participating in bilateral training activities, “he said.
India has signed similar agreements with the United States, France, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia.
The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) signed with the US in 2016 provides India with refueling facilities and access to US bases in Djibouti, Diego Garcia, Guam and Subic Bay.
The one signed with France in 2018, in turn, also extends the reach of the Indian Navy in the southwest of IOR due to French bases in the Reunion Islands near Madagascar and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
The MLSA with Australia will help us expand the reach of our warships in the southern IOR as well as the Western Pacific region.
The pacts are crucial for India in the context of China’s rapid expansion of its strategic presence in the IOR after its first overseas military base in Djibouti became operational in August 2017.
China, of course, also has access to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in Pakistan for recovery facilities for its submarines and warships. It is also trying to get military bases in Cambodia, Vanuatu and other countries to further consolidate its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Closer to India, China has six to eight warships deployed to the IOR at any one time. Furiously modernizing its naval forces, from long-range nuclear ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles to submarines and aircraft carriers, China has commissioned more than 80 warships in the past six years.
In video: India and Japan sign a mutual pact on military logistics, with an eye on China’s expansionist behavior
The pact was signed by Defense Secretary Ajay Kumar and Japanese Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
The agreement provides for the creation of a framework conducive to closer cooperation, interoperability and the use of each other’s military facilities by the armed forces of the two countries, the official said.
“The agreement establishes the framework for closer cooperation between the armed forces of India and Japan in the reciprocal provision of supplies and services while participating in bilateral training activities, “he said.
India has signed similar agreements with the United States, France, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia.
The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) signed with the US in 2016 provides India with refueling facilities and access to US bases in Djibouti, Diego Garcia, Guam and Subic Bay.
The one signed with France in 2018, in turn, also extends the reach of the Indian Navy in the southwest of IOR due to French bases in the Reunion Islands near Madagascar and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
The MLSA with Australia will help us expand the reach of our warships in the southern IOR as well as the Western Pacific region.
The pacts are crucial for India in the context of China’s rapid expansion of its strategic presence in the IOR after its first overseas military base in Djibouti became operational in August 2017.
China, of course, also has access to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar in Pakistan for recovery facilities for its submarines and warships. It is also trying to get military bases in Cambodia, Vanuatu and other countries to further consolidate its presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Closer to India, China has six to eight warships deployed to the IOR at any one time. Furiously modernizing its naval forces, from long-range nuclear ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles to submarines and aircraft carriers, China has commissioned more than 80 warships in the past six years.
In video: India and Japan sign a mutual pact on military logistics, with an eye on China’s expansionist behavior
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