New Delhi: During the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Minister Mark Esper to India, there are chances of many defence agreements between the two countries. There is also an agreement in this list under which India will be able to access accurate data and topographic images on a real time basis from US military satellites.
This data sharing agreement, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), is the third and final “foundation” with close international partners in the US. The two countries have already signed agreements to exchange military logistics and enable secure communication.
In a statement issued on Monday, the government said that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his US counterpart Mr. Asper expressed satisfaction that the BECA would be signed during the visit as well as the close engagement between the armed forces of the two countries.
He reviewed bilateral defence for military-to-military cooperation and also discussed secure communication systems and potential new areas of information sharing and cooperation. Rajnath Singh said that the talks would add “renewed vigor” to Indo-US defence relations and cooperation. Asper also welcomed Australia’s participation in next month’s Malabar exercise, a series of annual exercises that began in 1992 to strengthen cooperation between Indian and US naval forces.
