The U.S. Congress has cleared legislation for designating India as a “major defense partner”, with the Senate passing the $618 billion American defense budget for 2017. The bill was passed earlier by the U.S. House of Representatives by 375-34 votes, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law.
“The designation of a ‘Major Defense Partner’ gives a special status to India, apart from institutionalizing the progress made to facilitate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level at par with that of the U.S.’ closest allies and partners,” a joint statement issued after their meeting said. “The major defense partner [status] eases the process of licensing for military and dual-use items. It streamlines the process and reduces India’s licensing requirements,” an official said.
Officials also said that the progress achieved under initiatives such as the Defense Technology Trade Initiative and the India Rapid Reaction Cell in the Pentagon would continue in the next U.S. administration as it is now enshrined in the US law.
India and the U.S. are expected to announce a major new project under the Defense Technology Trade Initiative by year-end, reports Defense World.
