Treat India as an ally, punish Pakistan on terror: Marco Rubio introduces legislation to deepen ties
Washington: Marco Rubio, a powerful Republican Senator from Florida who was in the running to be Donald Trump’s running mate, has proposed a legislation that bats for deeper India-US defence ties in response to “growing threats” to India’s borders, calls for expeditious delivery of defence equipment to India, and asks the US administration to effectively treat India as an ally when it comes to technology transfer.
The proposed legislation, titled “United States-India Defense Cooperation Act of 2024”, also mandates the US Secretary of State to track and report all instances in which Pakistan has used “offensive force, including the use of proxies” against India, provided safe havens to terror groups, and the assistance Pakistan has provided to militants in “the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir”.
The trigger for the proposed law is the shared threat from China. In a statement, Rubio said, “Communist China continues to aggressively expand its domain in the Indo-Pacific region, all while it seeks to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners. It’s crucial for the U.S. to continue its support in countering these malicious tactics. India, along with other nations in the region, is not alone.”
In its statement of policy, the legislation proposes that US policy be oriented to support India in “its response to growing threats to its internationally recognized land and maritime borders”, provide necessary security assistance to India “to deter actions by foreign actors” that violate these borders, and cooperate with India on “defense, civil space, technology, medicine and economic investments”.
{{/usCountry}}In its statement of policy, the legislation proposes that US policy be oriented to support India in “its response to growing threats to its internationally recognized land and maritime borders”, provide necessary security assistance to India “to deter actions by foreign actors” that violate these borders, and cooperate with India on “defense, civil space, technology, medicine and economic investments”.
{{/usCountry}}It proposes giving India an exception to the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), a legislation that is meant to penalise countries that procure sensitive defence equipment from Russia. And it proposes treating India as an ally when it comes to provisions of the Arms Export Control Act, thus lifting the export controls that currently apply to India and inhibit technology transfer beyond a threshold.
To be sure, the value of the proposed legislation is, at the moment, largely symbolic for converting it into an act requires several steps. The Senate armed service committee will have to take it up, deliberate on it and go through a process of amendments.
The bill will then have to go on to the Senate floor either as a standalone legislation or a part of a larger legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act and be passed by a majority vote. A similar process will have to play out in the House. If both the chambers do pass the legislation, but have different versions, it will have to be reconciled in a conference. It will then go to the President to be signed into law.
But while most the proposed legislation may or may not turn into law, its value lies in the fact that it comes from Rubio, who is the ranking member/vice chair of the Senate select committee on intelligence and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If the Senate flips to the Republicans this November, he will head the intelligence committee.
Rubio is also among the most important foreign policy voices in the party known for his strong position against China. A rival of Trump in the 2016 presidential primaries, Rubio is now close to Trump, was considered for the vice presidential slot, and spoke at the Republican National Convention. And it is a sign that the relationship with India continues to enjoy bipartisan support on the Hill, despite criticism from some quarters on India’s engagement with Russia and domestic political developments.