US, Indian Officials Sign Defense Agreement During 2+2 Ministerial - Joint Statement

US, Indian Officials Sign Defense Agreement During 2+2 Ministerial - Joint Statement

Ministers from the United States and India signed a deal to boost defense communications and pave the way toward more US military sales to India, the two countries announced in a joint statement on Thursday after the conclusion of the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) Ministers from the United States and India signed a deal to boost defense communications and pave the way toward more US military sales to India, the two countries announced in a joint statement on Thursday after the conclusion of the inaugural 2+2 Dialogue in New Delhi.

"The Ministers ... welcomed the signing of a Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate access to advanced defense systems and enable India to optimally utilize its existing US-origin platforms," said the statement, which was unveiled after talks between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary James Mattis and their Indian counterparts Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The agreement allows the two countries to share encrypted communications and satellite data and creates a legal framework that will allow the United States to transfer sensitive defense technology, such as Predator drones, to India, officials have said.

The United States and India will also expand joint counter-terrorism efforts by increasing information sharing on known or suspected terrorists, the joint statement said.

The two countries also committed to staging new joint simultaneous air, land and sea military exercises for the first time. The ministers also agreed to start exchanges between the US Naval Forces Central Command and the Indian Navy, the statement said.

The ministers also "reaffirmed the strategic importance of India's designation as a Major Defense Partner (MDP) of the United States and committed to expand the scope of India's MDP status and take mutually agreed upon steps to strengthen defense ties further and promote better defense and security coordination and cooperation," the statement added.

They also signed a memorandum of intent to boost cooperation on defense innovation and to prioritize co-production and co-development projects, the statement added.

The next US-India 2+2 is scheduled for 2019 in the United States.