After two decades of negotiations and discussions between India and USA on October 24, 2020, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) was signed at the 2+2 dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers of India and the United States in Delhi, which marks the end of the prolonged phase of mutual trust-building and sets the stage for more expansive security cooperation.
Some Highlights of the Agreement
Some of the highlights of the agreement are as follows:
1. BECA is the fourth and final ‘foundational’ understanding between the two countries, the other three being-the US General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA, signed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2002), Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA, signed in 2016), and Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA, signed in 2018). These agreements were meant for exchanging military logistics and enabling secure communications.
BECA, live the previous Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMO) calls for modification for India’s specific needs. This agreement allows the US and India to share geospatial data and imagery to identify the military hardware of their adversaries with pinpoint accuracy and very high resolution. The US has signed similar agreements with South Korea, Australia and Japan.
2. The agreement will give India access to classified geo-spatial data as well as critical information, having significant military applications. If Pakistan ever makes any air strikes, India will be able to access satellite and other data from the US to verify the success of its hits.
3. As per the agreement, the two countries can exchange maps, nautical and aeronautical charts, commercial and other unclassified imagery, geophysical, geomagnetic, gravity data, materials in printed or digital formats, mutual technical assistance, and technology information.
4. The US will share sensitive satellite and sensor data that would help India in striking military targets with pinpoint accuracy, and will assist India keep a close watch on the movements of Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean.
5. The agreement will strengthen strategic partnership with the US, and will also help clear the brush for more intensive engagement between two powerful forces like interoperability to intelligence-sharing and joint defence research to weapons production.
6. This agreement will open up the real possibilities for bilateral and multilateral defence and security cooperation, which cannot be seen as a tactical response to the immediate military challenges from China.
7. Substantive and institutionalised cooperation between the two countries will serve the long-term interests of a rising India and an America that is restructuring its global security burden.
8. By acting together, both these countries will be able to better shape the regional and global environment.
Courtesy: Indian Express, The Hindu, NDTV