Rajnath Singh in Washington: India, US sign crucial defence pacts
By Anish Kumar | First Published Aug 23, 2024, 11:18 AM ISTThrough this arrangement, both the countries would be able to acquire the industrial resources they required from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs.
New Delhi: India and the United States on Friday (August 23) signed the Security of Supplies Arrangement (SOSA) document, and Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers. The SOSA is bilateral and non-binding agreement. Under SOSA, the two countries agree to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defense.
Through this arrangement, both the countries would be able to acquire the industrial resources they required from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs.
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From Indian side Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisitions) signed the agreement while Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy from the US side.
"This Security of Supply Arrangement represents a pivotal moment in the U.S. – India Major Defense Partner relationship and will be a key factor in strengthening the U.S. – India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)," said Dr. Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, on behalf of the United States.
"I look forward to OUSD(A&S) hosting the next DTTI meeting this fall to deepen cooperation between our respective defense industrial bases and pursue bilateral co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment initiatives."
In the Arrangement, they committed to support one another's priority delivery requests for procurement of critical national defense resources.
About SOSAs in details:—
In a statement, the US Embassy in New Delhi said: “The U.S. will provide India assurances under the U.S. Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), with program determinations by the Department of Defense (DOD) and rating authorization by the Department of Commerce (DOC).
It further said that India will in turn establish a government-industry Code of Conduct with its industrial base, where Indian firms will voluntarily agree to make every reasonable effort to provide the U.S. priority support.
With an expanding global supply chain for the US DOD, SOSAs are an important mechanism to strengthen interoperability with U.S. defense trade partners.
The Arrangements institute working groups, establish communication mechanisms, streamline processes, and proactively act to allay anticipated supply chain issues in peacetime, emergency, and armed conflict.
They are also a useful tool in developing investment strategies to ensure redundancy and security.
India is the eighteenth SOSA partner of the U.S. Other SOSA partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
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Assignment of liaison officers:—
In a joint statement issued after the meeting of the US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, the two sides had noted that information sharing and placement of Liaison Officers in each other’s military organizations.
It is of the view that it will spur joint service cooperation.
The Memorandum of Agreement regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers was signed by Joint Secretary International Cooperation, Ministry of Defence Shri Vishwesh Negi and Assistant Secretary of State for Defence for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Dr Ely Ratner.
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