By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Feb 12:
A ten-member US Navy delegation led by Rear Admiral Leonard C ‘Butch’ Dollaga, Commander Submarine Group VII, visited Headquarters, Western Naval Command (HQWNC), Mumbai on Wednesday.
The delegation was accompanied by Consul General David J Ranz of the US Consulate, Mumbai. During the visit, Rear Admiral Dollaga called on Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command, and discussed matters of relevance to the maritime domain with special emphasis on the growing cooperation between the two navies.
The visit of the US Navy (USN) delegation was part of follow-up activities linked to the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) discussions held in October 2020 wherein a consensus was reached to explore cooperation in the field of Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) with a formal agreement between the two sides.
The USN delegation presented various avenues to progress cooperation in the niche field of UDA and further strengthen Indo-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. On the Indian side, the discussion was led by Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of Staff, HQWNC wherein various facets of cooperation in the field of UDA were deliberated, a Defence spokesman said.
Major agreements signed between India and USA since 2014 include the Defence Framework Agreement (DFA), BECA, General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), Communication Compatibility and Security Arrangements (COMCASA), and the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
India was accorded ‘Major Defence Partner Status’ by the USA during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the USA in June 2016 that institutionalized defence trade and technology sharing with India, at par with closest allies and partners of the USA.
Commensurate with the Major Defence Partner designation, in 2018, India was elevated to Strategic Trade Authorisation Tier 1 status, which allows India to receive license-free access to a wide range of military and dual-use technologies regulated by the Department of Commerce.
In September 2021, in a meeting with US President Joe Biden and Modi, Biden reaffirmed the US’ “unwavering commitment” to India as a Major Defence Partner through close engagements, including information sharing and strengthening cooperation in advanced military technologies. The leaders also welcomed the deepening of advanced industrial cooperation and noted the project to co-develop air-launched unmanned aerial vehicles under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, and encouraged more such joint efforts.
