New Delhi: Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to strengthen the US-India defence ties.
Calling the India-US partnership crucial to counter “influences from Communist China”, Rubio has sought an enhancement in relations with India — strategic, diplomatic, economic and military.
“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 US to continue its support in countering these malicious tactics. India, along with other nations in the region, is not alone,” Rubio said, addressing the House Thursday.
The US-India Defense Cooperation Act seeks that India be treated like any other US ally like Japan, Israel, Korea and NATO members regarding technology transfers.
It further proposes “limited exemption” for India from CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions for purchases of Russian equipment currently used by the Indian military.
CAATSA was introduced to use economic sanctions to target nations that have close ties with Iran, North Korea, and Russia. In 2022, the US had exempted India from economic sanctions under the Act for purchasing the S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
The bill will further “set a statement of policy that the US will support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity”.
It calls for cooperation on the matter of Pakistan and its offences against India. It requires the US Secretary of State to make an annual report to a Congressional committee on all instances in which Pakistan has used offensive force, including the use of proxies, against India, and instances in which Pakistan has given sanctuary to terrorists and support to militants in Jammu & Kashmir.
The US and India already collaborate on counter-terrorism through the India-US Joint Working Group, first initiated in 2017. However, its last meeting took place in 2022.
The Bill also calls for expanding international military education and training cooperation with New Delhi and for a prompt review of offers to sell defence articles, defence services, design and construction services, and major defence equipment to India.
Rubio, a three-term senator from Florida, has served as vice-chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and as senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations. He ran for US president in 2016, stepping aside only after losing to Donald Trump in the primaries.
Deepening India-US ties
While this is the first time an India-centric bill has been introduced in the US, its ties with India have been deepening for the last few years. With Russian imports reducing or taking longer than expected given the war in eastern Europe, weapons sales to India from the US have reportedly surged.
Moreover, the collaboration between the two navies has strengthened through joint maritime exercises and common interest in the Indo-Pacific. The two countries are also part of the Quad, a grouping aimed at a rules-based global order and liberal navigation in the Indo-Pacific.
According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs last year, since 2022, three US Maritime Sealift Command ships have visited Indian shipyards for repair and allied services based on commercial contracts.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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