The third India-US dialogue of two plus two is expected to take place here on October 26-27 with the Narendra Modi government set to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial cooperation. BECA, the last of the four fundamental military communication agreements, is a major precursor to India’s acquisition of armed drones such as the US MQ-9B, as the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses data. space for precise attacks against enemy targets.
The India-US interaction at the ministerial level will be drastically expanded this month with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar meeting with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo at the Quad security dialogue in Tokyo on October 6. . This will be followed by the visit of US Under Secretary of State Stephen Beigun in mid-October and finally US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will join the two Ministers of Defense. Foreign Relations in the dialogue of two plus two.
While the dates for the two plus two are being finalized, the signing of BECA will be a very significant advance, as it will allow India to use global geospatial maps of the US for precision separation weapons such as ballistic missiles and cruising. The two countries have already activated the three fundamental agreements and both use designated military facilities for refueling and refueling. The communication agreement allows both countries to share military information on threats on land and in the Indo-Pacific.
During the two plus two, the two US ministers will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his national security adviser Ajit Doval, who has a direct line to his US counterpart Robert O’Brien.
While the defense and foreign ministers will address the global security environment, Chinese aggression in Ladakh and in the South China Sea will be discussed in detail and both sides will share their assessment. Just as the People’s Liberation Army continues to take an aggressive stance on Taiwan in the South China Sea, it shows no intention of withdrawing from the Ladakh sector despite talking about withdrawal and de-escalation.
The dialogue will coincide with the plenary session of the Communist Party of China on October 26-29, where the 370 members of the Central Committee will interact with Supreme Leader Xi Jinping to review important political decisions, including the upcoming five-year plan.
The situation in Afghanistan will be discussed during the two plus two with India cautious about peace in Kabul despite fully understanding the US decision to withdraw after 19 years. Although India involved Taliban leaders in the Doha dialogue in September, it wants the conservative Sunni group to reduce violence in Afghanistan so that the country remains a republic and does not become an Islamic emirate.
Pakistan’s relentless cross-border terrorism will also be a topic of discussion, and outlawed groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Tayebba will continue to target innocent civilians and security forces alike in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite Pakistan trying to use its all-weather ally China to get off the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) gray list, the Islamic state continues to export terrorists and jihadists from Kashmir to Azerbaijan with the help of Turkey.
.
