US clears $ 700 billion defence Bill

The US Congress on Friday passed a nearly $ 700 billion defence budget for 2018 which imposes tougher conditions on Pakistan for military and security assistance while seeking advancement in military cooperation with major defence partner India.

The 2018 National Defence Authorisation Act ( NDAA) sailed through both the chambers of the Congress — House of Representatives and the Senate — by a voice vote.

It now heads to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign it into law, which he is expected to do before the Thanksgiving holidays.

The budget also accommodates the last minute additional White House’s financial request its new Asia strategy.

The NDAA- 2018 asked the secretary of state and the defence secretary to come out with a common definition that recognises India’s status as a “Major Defence Partner”.

Welcoming the move, top Republican Senator Ted Cruz said few partnerships in the 21st century carried more strategic significance than the USIndia partnership.

Mr Cruz said that the current bilateral cooperation and joint development need to be more closely aligned with the shared interests of maritime domain awareness and anti- submarine warfare. The NDAA- 2018 also asks the Pentagon to develop a “forward- looking” strategy for defence ties with India.