The third ministerial meeting of two plus two next week will see India and the United States consolidating the military-to-military relationship between the two democracies to move toward an institutionalized intelligence-sharing agreement and go beyond three-service exercises. towards an unmanned, space and underwater platform. domains, people familiar with the matter said.
On October 26 and 27, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will meet with the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, and the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, in the national capital, Delhi, for the third round of the main strategic dialogue agreed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the United States. President Donald Trump in 2017. The two sides are expected to sign a founding geospatial military agreement called BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) which is a precursor to India’s acquisition of armed drones such as the US MQ-9B. Using spatial data to detect strikes.
The two sides are expected to build on past achievements at the meeting that took place weeks before the U.S. presidential election on November 3, knowing that there is a bipartisan consensus within the United States on deepening the the strategic relationship between India and the United States.
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There is a great possibility that the two parties can develop a pact that allows an institutionalized relationship between the Defense Intelligence Agencies of the two countries. India and the United States already share intelligence in real time through the communication agreement called COMCASA. But the new pact would allow the two allies to share vital intelligence from the three services on developments in all defense matters, from the South China Sea to Ladakh. This proposal has been hanging on fire for quite a few years to no avail.
Although BECA has yet to be formally approved by Prime Minister Modi’s cabinet, the deal will allow India to purchase unmanned armed aerial and underwater platforms from the US. These would be loaded with maps of the neighborhood terrain for precise destruction of the objectives acquired. Terrain maps will also aid in the precision flight of the US-made platforms acquired by India and thus enhance the military capabilities of platforms such as Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy lift helicopters.
While the decision to acquire armed drones has been communicated to the US, the two countries are going beyond simple exercises and entering previously unexplored domains like space and the submarine.
The two sides will also discuss the People’s Liberation Army’s aggression in Ladakh and its muscle flexing in the South China Sea and the countermeasures that the four-nation QUAD, which also comprises Japan and Australia, must take to remain committed to free Indo and open. -Pacific for world trade.
Peace in Afghanistan and terror in Pakistan will also be a top priority, as India fears more violence in Kabul once US forces leave the Islamic Republic after 19 years. Even though India participated in the intra-Afghan Doha talks, it is concerned about Pakistan’s deep state control over the Taliban and has called on the current government leaders in Kabul to present a united face.
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