The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $621.5 billion defense policy bill that includes defense cooperation with India. An amendment in this regard, moved by Indian-American Congressman Ami Bera, was adopted by a voice vote by the House as part of the National Defense Authorization Act 2018, beginning October 1 this year.
The India-related amendment passed by the House requires the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to develop a strategy for advancing defense cooperation between the United States and India. “The United States is the world’s oldest democracy and India is the world’s largest democracy. It is vitally important to develop a strategy that advances defense cooperation between our two nations,” Bera said.
The Act now needs to be passed by the Senate before it can be sent to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign into law, reports News 18.
Cara Abercrombie, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, said, “We have the same interests in upholding this international system that upholds the rule of law that favors freedom of navigation, open sea lanes of communication, and freedom of over flight. Those are values that are critically important to the United States and India to our economic prosperity and to our access in the region.”
