Land Mark Bill: US Senator Moves Bill to Help India Take on China
The US-India Defense Cooperation Act is a measure that US Republican Senator Marco Rubio announced he has introduced to strengthen New Delhi's strategic military, diplomatic, and economic ties in order to confront China.
“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 in a statement announcing his legislation.
A Statement of Policy would be set out by the legislation that the US will support India in its response to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to India, and cooperate with India with respect to defence, civil space, technology, medicine, and economic investments.
When passed into law, it would provide India with a limited exemption from CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions) sanctions for purchases of Russian equipment that are currently used by the Indian military and set a Sense of Congress that expeditious consideration of certifications.
The bill proposes to treat India the same way as US allies, such as Japan, Israel, Korea, and NATO allies, when it comes to technology transfers; authorizes the Secretary of State to sign a memorandum of understanding with India to boost military cooperation; expedites excess defence supplies to India for two years; and grants India the same status as other allies in the field of international military education and training.
It requires a report to Congress on Pakistan’s use of offensive force, including through terrorism and proxy groups, against India; and bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to have sponsored terrorism against India.