Foundational agreements are used by the US to facilitate defense cooperation with foreign military partners. Four such agreements are as follows:-
1. GSOMIA – General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) has already been signed in 2002.
2. LSA – India had signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), a modified version of Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), which allows the military of each country to replenish from the other’s bases.
It facilitates the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the US and partner countries on a reimbursable basis.
3. CISMOA – Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement is meant to provide a legal framework for the 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. The general agreement signed by the US is called the Communication and Information on Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) but the name was changed to COMCASA ( Communications, Compatibility, Security Agreement) to reflect its India-specific nature.
- BECA : refers to Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation . This agreement would facilitate exchange of geospatial information between India and United States for both military and civilian use.
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p style=”text-align: justify;”>Written by Gajanan