Bill to strengthen defence ties between India,US gains traction

THERE HAVE BEEN MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR A VOTE ON THE BILL ON THE HOUSE FLOOR, WHICH HAVE BEEN MISSED DESPITE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR INDIA,

WASHINGTON: A key bill to accord “real teeth” to India’s recently designated status as a major defence partner of the US and grant it the same access to defence purchases as Nato members, Israel and Australia passed a crucial stage in Congress on Wednesday.

However, its route to the final passage remains uncertain, an official said.

The legislative measure was moved by Eliot Engel, the seniormost Democrat on the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives as an amendment to the International Security Assistance Act 2018.

The amending bill requires the president to add a country designated as a “major defence partner” to a list of countries afforded speedy clearance of certain defence purchases under the Arms Export Control Act by the state department.

That list includes Nato members, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Israel and New Zealand.

“The bill adds real teeth to the designation (of India as a major defence partner) at a time when our relationship with India is more important than ever,” said Ami Bera, an Indian American Democratic Congressman. But he also expressed concern at the lack of progress on the issue since the designation in 2015 and its codification into law in 2017.

The next stage in the legislative process is a vote on the floor, which officials said was a decision for Republicans to take.

Former president Barack Obama had declared India a “major defence partner” in 2015 to pave the way for smoother defence trade ties. In 2017, Congress codified that decision into law by including it in the National Defence Authorization Act, the defence budget.