India signs landmark military pact with the US to make its drones and missiles more accurate

• India and the US have signed a new landmark defence pact called the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).
• It allows the US to share satellite and other surveillance data to improve Indian navigation and targeting capabilities.
• This will improve the accuracy of India’s automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones.

India and the US have added another layer to the military cooperation between them by signing the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) amid the 2+2 ministerial talks happening in Delhi today. Defence ministry’s Additional Secretary Jivesh Nandan signed the agreement on behalf of India.

BECA is essentially an agreement between the US’ National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and India’s Ministry of Defence to share military information.

This includes maps, nautical charts, aeronautical charts, unclassified imagery, and other types of data. Within the agreement, there is a provision that allows for the sharing of classified information and the proper safeguards in place to ensure that the same information isn’t shared with any third parties.

All of this intelligence will provide India’s military with advanced navigational aid and geospatial information. This will improve the accuracy of its automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones.

It’s the fourth and final ‘foundational’ agreement between the US and India. They serve as the framework for cooperation and interoperability between the US and India’s defence ministries.

Four foundational agreements between the US and India	Year	Goal
General Security Of Military Information Agreements (GSOMIA)	2002	Enable the sharing of classified data between government entities
Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)	2016	Allows both parties to benefit from each other’s logistics infrastructure, resources and consumables
Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)	2018	Enables secure communications between the forces and governs access to sensitive US communications equipment and encryption
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)	2020	Allows the US to share satellite and other surveillance data to improve Indian navigation and targeting capabilities

The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) notes that even though the US reportedly shared intelligence with India during the Doklam issue, that cooperation was inherently limited by the lack of formal structures to enable rapid and secure dissemination of information.

BECA could be the next step in fine-tuning that process, especially concerning the tensions currently simmering between India and China in Eastern Ladakh.

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