More security cooperation with India, conditional aid for Pakistan

President Barack Obama has signed a $618 billion defence policy bill.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has signed a $618 billion defence policy bill which when in place, will enhance security cooperation with India.

The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), which was passed by both the House and the Senate with veto-proof majorities earlier this month, was signed by Obama on Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is currently vacationing.

The highlights of the bill released by Arizona Senator and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain said it “enhances security cooperation between the United States and India”, under the ‘Supporting Allies and Partners’ section.

According to the highlights, the NDAA will also “refocus security assistance to Pakistan on activities that directly support US national security interests and condition a significant portion of funding on a certification from the Secretary of Defence that Pakistan is taking demonstrable steps against the Haqqani Network in Pakistani territory.”

The NDAA lays restrictions on transferring detainees out of the Guantanamo Bay facility, ensuring that Obama will not be able to fulfil his goal of closing it before he leaves office next month, Xinhua news agency reported.

It authorises a total of $618.7 billion in spending, including a troop pay raise of 2.1 per cent, though Obama has only requested for a 1.6% pay raise.

It also calls for $3.2 billion more in base defence funding than Obama has requested, plus an additional $5.8 billion in White House-requested war dollars.

As for the size of the Army and Marine Corps, the new bill authorises 476,000 active duty soldiers (16,000 more than requested) and 185,000 Marines (3,000 more than requested).

After signing the bill on Friday, Obama said that it “authorises fiscal year 2017 appropriations principally for the Department of Defense and for Department of Energy national security programmes, provides vital benefits for military personnel and their families, and includes authorities to facilitate ongoing operations around the globe.”

However, “Congress again failed to enact meaningful reforms to divest unneeded force structure, reduce wasteful overhead and modernise military healthcare.”

“Instead, the Congress redirects funding needed to support the warfighter to fund additional end-strength that our military leaders have not requested at a time when our troops are engaged overseas supporting the fight against the Islamic State and against Al Qaeda,” he added.

On the campaign trail, US President-elect Donald Trump promised a massive military build-up, including boosting the Army to 540,000 active duty soldiers, increasing the Navy to 350 warships and adding 1,200 new Air Force fighter jets. UK’s Ministry of Defence this week updated Parliament on “the United Kingdom’s future nuclear deterrent”. The Dreadnought submarine programme is the UK’s programme to replace the four Vanguard Class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) that carry the UK’s current independent nuclear deterrent. The four new SSNB submarines will deliver the British government’s commitment to maintain a “continuous at sea deterrence” posture into the 2050s and beyond. The successor submarines have been officially named the Dreadnought Class. The programme is the largest UK submarine project in a generation and is one of the most complex undertaken by British industry; the expected cost for design and manufacture of the four Dreadnought submarines is likely to total £31Bn (including inflation over the 35-year lifetime of the programme).

Although the MOD has contracted directly with BAE Systems and RollsRoyce for production, hundreds of suppliers across the UK are working on the Dreadnought submarine programme. This underlines that the nuclear deterrent represents a significant national undertaking. It is drawing on cutting edge capabilities, innovation, design and engineering skills available in the UK and pro- viding employment opportunities and development prospects for a substantial number of apprentices, trainees and graduates in a wide range of technical and other disciplines. Now that production has commenced, activity through the supply chain will intensify and BAE Systems expect around 85% of their supply chain will be based in the UK. From 2020, Faslane, the largest military establishment in Scotland, will become the Royal Navy’s “Submarine Centre of Specialisation” with all the UK’s operational submarines based there.

The UK and the US renewed the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA) in 2014. Some elements are time-limited and therefore require periodic amendment and renewal. The MDA underpins all nuclear defence co- operation between the UK and the US. It allows the exchange of nuclear materials, technology