India-US Plans to Revive Defence Policy Group

Guwahati: India and the United States are planning to revive the Defence Policy Group (DPG) between the two countries. Both the countries have revived the DPG after a four-year gap with a discussion on the text of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) which is one of the key items in the agenda.

India will be able to use geospatial maps with the help of BECA to get pinpoint military accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons such as cruise and ballistic missiles. BECA is one of the foundational military communications between the two countries along with Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

LEMOA was signed in 2016 between India and America which allows the two countries defence forces to use each other's facilities and establishes procedures of easier access of supplies and services required by them.

On the other hand, COMCASA was signed during Two-Plus-Two talks in Washington last year. It allows the US to transfer communication equipment to India that allows secure transmission of data and real-time information between the armed forces of the two countries.

And recently, BECA has been signed which is an important precursor to India acquiring armed unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator-B which uses spatial data for accurate strikes on enemy targets to India.

It was in last September that the decision to revive the DPG was taken in the Two-Plus-Two meeting between the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries.

According to report, the reports will be reviewed by DPG of existing sub-groups- Military Cooperation Group, Joint Technology Group, Senior Security Technology Group and the Defence Procurement and Production Group. The Modi government has made up its mind to sign BECA although India initially had reservations to geospatial mapping on the grounds of national security.

DPG will lay the future roadmap for joint advanced exercises between the two countries and it will look at the prospect of technological cooperation in building military hardware under the Make in India scheme.

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