Foundational agreements facilitate better defence ties: US

The three defence agreements recently proposed by the US to India are aimed at facilitating better military co-operation and does not infringe upon the country's sovereignty or provide unapproved access to foreign military assets or IT systems, the Pentagon has said.
The defence agreements -- called foundational -- are used by the US to facilitate defence cooperation with foreign military partners, senior defence officials said.
These are routine agreements and to date the US has signed more than 100 such agreements with its partner countries around the world.
In an interaction with Indian journalists based here, three senior defence officials said the proposed foundational agreements are aimed at facilitating the exchange of classified information and sensitive technologies between the two countries.

It is also aimed at facilitating cost-savings when procuring and maintaining US-made military systems; and reduce logistical challenges to bilateral defence relations, said the officials on condition of anonymity.
Of the four foundational agreements, General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) has already been signed in 2002.

After the historic India visit of the US President Barack Obama in January this year, the Pentagon had submitted drafts of two other foundational agreements -- Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA); and Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) - to the Indian Embassy here, which is now being reviewed by the Indian Government, officials said.

The draft of the fourth foundational agreement -- Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for Geospatial Intelligence - has been submitted by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
Officials said they have received requests for further queries from the Indian government on all of these agreements and there is no time line on the signing of these agreements.
"We are not putting any pressure on India. It's up to India to decide," one official said.
"These agreements represent a confluence of interests in safeguarding sensitive information and facilitating enhanced cooperation," officials said, adding that none of these agreements "infringe upon Indian sovereignty".

These foundational agreements, defence department officials insisted, "do not limit" procurement flexibility.
"Foreign governments are not obligated to procure communications equipment, products, data, or services solely from the US," he said.
They further said that these agreements "do not" provide the US with unapproved access to foreign territory or facilities; or to foreign military assets or IT systems.