The U.S.-India defense relationship, which is on a steady upward trend this decade, reached an important milestone last week. During the first-ever “two plus two” meeting of the two countries` top defense and diplomatic officials, India and the United States reached a third so-called basic agreement to facilitate closer defense cooperation. It will also allow for greater interoperability of communications between the armed forces of India and the United States. Data collected through these systems may not be disclosed or transferred to natural or legal persons without the consent of India. Manned and unmanned air vehicles, anti-submarine warfare and aircraft carrier technologies are specifically the areas in which India is expected to benefit from high-end technology transfer from the US under COMCASA. Compared to other defense manufacturers, the US is not only an undisputed technology leader in the above three military fields, but has also established relations with India in all three subfields, making technology transfer easy and useful for both sides. In the past, the lack of a COMCASA agreement has led to the rejection of some high-end components for US platforms sold to India or built together. In the absence of these add-ons to improve functionality, especially on three imported systems; The Special Operations Carrier Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, the long-range and anti-submarine maritime reconnaissance aircraft Boeing P-8I and the C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift aircraft, the lack of optimal performance and efficiency of these systems were threatened. COMCASA enables India to acquire special transfer equipment for encrypted communication for military platforms such as the C-17, C-130 and P-8Is. Currently, these platforms use commercially available communication systems.
India will have many advantages in signing the COMCASA agreement. Here are some advantages: As the name suggests, COMCASA deals with secure military communications. For more than a decade or more, discussions, debates, intrinsic analyses during interactions within the strategic community in various forums; whether or not the communication, compatibility and security agreement offered by the United States for India, COMCASA for short, must be signed. COMCASA is an advanced and refined version of the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA) developed by the United States specifically for India. CISMOA is one of three fundamental agreements that the United States insists on signing with its military allies. The other two agreements are the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The US-India COMCASA – formerly known by its generic name CISMOA or a Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum agreement – requires India to protect sensitive and secure US military communications equipment and in turn facilitates India`s use of previously restricted communication channels to allow closer cooperation between US and Indian military installations, as well as those of friendly forces that have also concluded a similar agreement with the United States. States. Even after years of bilateral military exercises, without COMCASA, the Indo-United States military communications were able to take advantage of a limited range of functions of the American communication system CentRIX (Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange). This limit no longer applies. A great benefactor of this agreement was the Navy, as it needs supplies more often than the Air Force and Army. In addition to completing COMCASA, the two-plus-two meeting saw defense consultations between the two sides on India`s upcoming purchase of a Russian S-400 air defense system, a move that could trigger U.S.
sanctions and regional issues, including India`s energy imports from Iran. Later this year, the United States will activate a second round of sanctions after U.S. President Donald J. Trump decided in May 2018 to withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the deal that limited Iran`s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Apart from interoperability, COMCASA will also open up the possibility for Indian military units to access a secure common tactical image that would allow, for example, Indian Navy and Air Force surveillance aircraft and fighters to obtain data from the United States and friendly colleagues during exercises or operations. Given India`s previously restricted access to the United States. Following its appointment as a major defense partner in 2016, COMCASA will open up the possibility for India to import US systems that are not burdened by potential limitations in command, communication and sensor technologies. These agreements complement the steps previously taken by the Trump administration to strengthen Indo-US relations. .