A well-calibrated strengthening of ties
The Security of Supply Arrangement will enable both sides to request priority delivery of resources to meet national security needs
Defence minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to the US was marked by the signing of two more agreements to enhance security cooperation and defence exchanges between the two sides, which have covered considerable ground in recent years in increasing the inter-operability of their militaries and sharpening their focus on the Indo-Pacific region. It was perhaps no coincidence that Singh was in the US at almost the same time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to Ukraine, and the visits were being seen as part of the delicate balancing resorted to by the Indian side following the premier’s trip to Russia last month, which triggered some heartburn in the West.
The Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) will enable both sides to request priority delivery of resources to meet national security needs, especially in case of unanticipated supply chain disruptions. The other pact will allow India to post liaison officers in the US, with a start being made with the US Special Operations Command in Florida. These build on the foundational agreements that the two sides signed for defence cooperation, intelligence-sharing and reciprocal access to logistics. The US also approved the sale of anti-submarine warfare equipment to India, giving another fillip to the burgeoning ties. However, the US needs to redouble its efforts to provide much-needed engines to power India’s Tejas combat aircraft, and this matter would surely have figured in Singh’s discussions with his interlocutors. In the context of the Indo-Pacific region, the two sides agreeing to intensify efforts to ensure that the crucial region remains “free and open” was more of the diplomatic signalling aimed at countering the aggressive and expansionist actions of China across the Indo-Pacific, especially the South China Sea where it is engaged in a reckless confrontation with the Philippines.
