Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement: USA

 Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Cooperation (BECA) held in New Delhi it is the third IndiaU.S. ‘2+2’ dialogue

2+2 talks:

• They are a dialogue between two appointed ministers from each country. This meeting aims to discuss issues of strategic and security interests between the two countries.
• Defense and foreign ministers or secretaries meet with their counterparts from another country.
• India holds such talks with Japan and Australia, at the foreign secretary and defense secretary level.
• India holds ministerial-level talks only with the USA. Apart from India, the United States holds such ministerial dialogues with Australia and Japan also.
• The talks were announced in June 2017. The 2+2 dialogue has replaced the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two countries that were held previously.

BECA:

• BECA will allow India to use the geospatial maps of the USA to get pinpoint military accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons such as cruise and ballistic missiles.
• BECA is an important precursor to India acquiring armed unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator-B from the USA. Predator-B uses spatial data for accurate strikes on enemy targets.
• BECA is one of the four foundational military communication agreements between the two countries. The other three being GSOMIA, LEMOA, CISMOA.
• Initially, India had reservations about geospatial mapping on the grounds of national security, but they were later addressed by mutual dialogue and discussion between the two countries.

General Security Of Military Information Agreement

• GSOMIA allows militaries to share the intelligence gathered by them.
• Signed by India in 2002.
• An extension to the GSOMIA, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA), was signed at the 2+2 dialogue in 2019.
• ISA provides a framework for the exchange and protection of classified military information between the USA and Indian defense industries.

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement

• LEMOA allows both countries to have access to each other’s designated military facilities for refueling and replenishment.
• Signed by India in 2016.

Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement

• COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) is the India specific version of CISMOA.
• Valid for 10 years, COMCASA aims to provide a legal framework for the transfer of highly sensitive communication security equipment from the USA to India that will streamline and facilitate interoperability between their armed forces.
• Signed by India in 2018.

Other Maritime Developments Between India and the USA

• A maritime information agreement is also under active deliberation between India and the USA. Once concluded, India will have such arrangements with all Quad countries.
• Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) is the informal strategic dialogue between India, USA, Japan, and Australia with a shared objective to ensure and support a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
• In increasing military to military interactions, the USA has also posted a liaison officer at the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) meant to promote Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).
• The Information Fusion Centre serves countries that have White Shipping Information Exchange (White-shipping refers to commercial shipping information about the movement of cargo ships) agreements with India.
• MDA is defined by the International Maritime Organization as an effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of a country.
• Recently, India posted a liaison officer at the USA Navy Central Command in Bahrain.

Other Discussion 

• Apart from BECA, India and the U.S. also sealed an MoU on Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences, and an agreement to extend the duration of the MoU regarding the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership. The two sides also signed an agreement on the electronic exchange of customs data and a letter of intent regarding cooperation in traditional Indian medicines.
• A joint statement issued following the conclusion of the visit of the American dignitaries highlighted shared Indo­U.S. goals in the Asia-Pacific region and “emphasized that the Code of Conduct in the South China sea should not prejudice the legitimate rights and interests of any nation by international law”. 
• The two sides also decided to expand joint capacity building activities with partner countries in the Indo­-Pacific region. 
• BECA enables the exchange of geospatial data and information between the two countries and will improve the accuracy of India’s missiles in the future during precision strikes. It will help share geospatial maps and charts between the U.S. and India, which may have been acquired from multiple sources like satellites, UAVs, reconnaissance aircraft, aerostats, among others
• Data shared from BECA will help in identifying, updating, and tracking various types of target and their position, both on land and sea
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