India, US bolster defense ties to offset China

NEW DELHI—India and the United States are closing in on an agreement to share military logistics after 12 years of talks, officials said, a sign of strengthening defense ties between the countries as China becomes increasingly assertive.

The United States has emerged as India’s top arms source after years of dominance by Russia, and holds more joint exercises with it than any other country.

The United States is now holding talks with New Delhi to help build its largest aircraft carrier in the biggest military collaboration to date—a move that will bolster the Indian Navy’s strength as China expands its reach in the Indian Ocean.

After years of foot-dragging by previous governments over fears that the logistics agreement would draw India into a binding commitment to support the United States in war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has signaled a desire to move ahead with the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA).

That would allow the two militaries to use each other’s land, air and naval bases for resupplies, repair and rest, officials said.

Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Navy’s Pacific Command, said the two sides were working on the LSA, another agreement for secure communications when the militaries operate together, and a third on exchange of topographical, nautical and aeronautical data.

“We have not gotten to the point of signing them with India, but I think we’re close,” Harris told the US House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

The progress came as the countries considered joint maritime patrols that a US official said could include the South China Sea, where China was locked in a territorial dispute with Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, among others.

An Indian government official said the main impediment to signing the LSA had been cleared, after Washington gave an assurance that New Delhi was not bound by it if the United States went to war with a friendly country or undertook any other unilateral action that New Delhi did not support.

“It has been clarified that it will be done on a case-to-case basis. It’s not automatic that either side will get access to facilities in case of war,” said the official fa- miliar with the negotiations.

Asked whether China was concerned such cooperation was actually aimed at Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said: “We hope the relevant cooperation is beneficial to regional peace and cooperation and should not be aimed at the interests of third parties.”

India has been alarmed by Chinese naval forays into the Indian Ocean and its involvement in maritime infrastructure on island nations that it traditionally considered its back yard.

It has moved to shore up naval forces and build defense ties with Japan and Vietnam, besides the United States.