U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis held a mini-summit with top Indian officials in a bid to shore up the U.S. – India alliance. The “2+2” dialogue — called that because they are held between the top diplomatic and defense officials of both countries — have been postponed twice. Pompeo had discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, while Mattis and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met separately.
The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed by the four officials and a hotline between the External Affairs Minister and Defense Minister was set up with their American counterparts. COMCASA will provide a legal framework for the transfer of communication security equipment from the U.S. to India that will facilitate “interoperability” between their forces — and potentially with other military establishments that use U.S.-origin systems for secured data links. It will also allow the installation of high-security U.S. communication equipment on defense platforms being sourced from the US.
Swaraj said both the sides agreed on working together toward the entry of India in the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The two sides also announced the deployment of an Indian liaison officer at the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command which is in charge of naval operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the oil-rich Gulf countries. In a first, the two nations decided to conduct a tri-services joint exercise off the eastern coast of India in 2019.
In his speech, Defense secretary Jim Mattis said, “We will continue working together, join hands and expand India’s role as a primary major defense partner, to elevate our relationship to a level commensurate with our closest allies and partners.” The United States has emerged as India’s second largest arms supplier, closing $15 billion worth of deals in the past decade.
