India, US set to sign pact for secure military communications

Mains Paper 2: IR | Bilateral, regional & global groupings & agreements involving India &/or affecting India’s interests

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

Prelims level: COMCASA, LEMOA, BECA

Mains level: Military partnership of India with other countries

COMCASA to be signed

India and the US are likely to sign the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)
It would be a bilateral pact between the two countries for secure military communications

Modified CISMOA

The general agreement signed by the US with other countries is called the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) but the name was changed to COMCASA to reflect its India-specific nature
COMCASA is meant to provide a legal framework for transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India that would facilitate “interoperability” between their forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secured data links

3 foundational agreements

COMCASA is part of a set of three military agreements that the US considers “foundational” for a functional military relationship
In August 2016, India had signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), which allows the military of each country to replenish from the other’s bases
Negotiations on the third agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA), have not yet begun

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