US Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday introduced a bill in Congress that would treat India at par with its allies such as Japan, Israel, Korea and NATO allies with regard to technology transfer, support India in responding to growing threats to its territorial integrity and bar Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to be sponsoring terrorism against India.
“Communist China is aggressively expanding its territory in the Indo-Pacific region while seeking to impede the sovereignty and autonomy of our regional partners. It is critical for the United States to continue to support China in countering these malign moves, as are other countries in the region. India is not alone,” Rubio said after introducing the US-India Defense Cooperation Act in the Senate.
The bill is unlikely to make much headway due to bitter differences in Congress in an election year, but given the support among both parties on India-US relations, it could be reintroduced in the next Congress. The bill states that the US-India partnership is vital to counter the influences of Communist China. To strengthen this partnership, it is necessary to enhance our strategic diplomatic, economic and military ties with New Delhi.
Among other things, the bill will set out a policy statement that the US will support India in responding to growing threats to its territorial integrity, provide necessary security assistance to India to deter adversaries, and cooperate with India in areas such as defence, civilian space, technology, medicine, and economic investment.
If enacted, it would provide India with a limited exemption from CAATSA restrictions for the purchase of Russian equipment currently used by the Indian military and would demonstrate to Congress that it is consistent with U.S. interests and in the interest of peace and stability to ensure that India has the capabilities necessary to deter threats to the region for expedited consideration of certification of letters of offer to sell defense materials, defense services, design and construction services, and major defense equipment to India.
It proposes treating India on the same level as US allies such as Japan, Israel, Korea and NATO allies with regard to technology transfers; authorizing the Secretary of State to sign Memorandums of Understanding with India to enhance military cooperation; expediting the shipment of additional defense material to India for two years and granting India the same status as other allies; and expanding international military education and training cooperation with New Delhi.
It requires Pakistan to report to Congress on its use of coercive force against India, including through terrorism and proxy groups; and bars Pakistan from receiving security assistance if it is found to be sponsoring terrorism against India.
This is the first time such an India-focused bill has been introduced in the US Congress, which proposes to put India at the same level as its treaty allies, exempt it from CAATSA sanctions and impose sanctions on Pakistan for promoting terrorism in India.
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