EDITORIAL ANALYSIS :This maritime partnership is still a work in progress

  Source: The Hindu

Prelims: Current events of international importance(the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), India-US relations, Regional forums(QUAD, East Asia Summit) etc)

Mains GS Paper II: Significance of US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, Indo-Pacific Region,Free and open Indo-Pacific, International organizations.

ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

• The docking of the USNS Charles Drew, a United States Navy dry cargo ship, for repairs at an Indian facility in Chennai last week, marks an important first in the India-U.S. military relationship.
• Although bilateral strategic ties have advanced considerably over the past decade, reciprocal repair of military vessels was still a milestone that had not been crossed.
• With the arrival of Charles Drew at the Larsen and Toubro (L&T) facility at the Kattupalli dockyard, India and the U.S. seem to have moved past a self-imposed restriction.

INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE

Context

India-U.S. bilateral relations:

• They have developed into a “global strategic partnership“, based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues.
• Regular exchange of high-level political visits has provided sustained momentum to bilateral cooperation, while the wide-ranging and ever-expanding dialogue architecture has established a long-term framework for India-U.S.

Engagement:

• India-U.S. bilateral cooperation is broad-based and multi-sectoral:
  • Trade and investment
  • Defense and security
  • Education
  • Science and technology
  • Cyber security
  • High-technology
  • Civil nuclear energy
  • Space technology and applications
  • Clean energy
  • Environment, agriculture and health

Signs of a broader template:

• Repair and maintenance of ships: During the bilateral 2+2 dialogue held in April this year, the two countries agreed to explore the possibilities of using Indian shipyards for the repair and maintenance of ships of the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC).
• Exhaustive audit of Indian yards: In the weeks following that meeting, the MSC carried out an exhaustive audit of Indian yards, and cleared the facility at Kattupalli for the repair of U.S. military vessels.
• Functional and geopolitical implications: The docking of a U.S. military vessel at an Indian facility has both functional and geopolitical implications.
  • Functionally, it signals a more efficient leveraging of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)-the military logistics agreement India signed with the U.S. in 2017.
• Reciprocal access to repair facilities at U.S. bases: With the arrival of a U.S. military vessel at an Indian dockyard, the template of logistics cooperation seems to have broadened.
  • There is a good possibility now that India would seek reciprocal access to repair facilities at U.S. bases in Asia and beyond.
• Make-in-India: As Indian observers see it, the presence of the USNS Charles Drew in an Indian dockyard is a boost for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make-in-India’.

The political signal:

Implications for India:

• India-U.S. partnership, and the Quadrilateral: Politically, the development is noteworthy, as it signals a consolidation of the India-U.S. partnership, and the Quadrilateral (India, Japan, Australia and the United States) Security Dialogue.
• Foreign warships access to Indian facilities: Despite its intention to strengthen logistics exchanges among Quad members, India has desisted from offering foreign warships access to Indian facilities.
• Anti-China alliance: Notwithstanding the odd refueling of foreign warships and aircraft in Indian facilities, India’s military establishment has been wary of any moves that would create the impression of an anti-China alliance.
  • Yet, Indian decision makers evidently are willing to be more ambitious with the India-U.S. strategic relationship.
• India’s Quad partners: India’s decision to open up repair facilities for the U.S. military suggests greater Indian readiness to accommodate the maritime interests of India’s Quad partners.

Implications for US:

• Eastern Indian Ocean: This is an incremental step forward in the U.S. moving to bolster its military presence in the Eastern Indian Ocean.
• China’s military expansion: Recent assessments of the evolving security picture in the Indian Ocean point to the possibility of China’s military expansion in the Asian littorals, holding at risk U.S. and European assets.
• Naval bases for friendly foreign warships: India’s offer of repair services for U.S. military vessels could kickstart a process that would culminate in India opening up its naval bases for friendly foreign warships.
• India-U.S. synergy: At a time when India has shied away from backing the U.S. position in the Russia-Ukraine war, greater India-U.S. synergy in the Indian Ocean littorals could galvanize the supporters of closer bilateral ties.
• Defining partnership in the Indian Ocean: It would revive talk about the bilateral as a defining partnership in the Indian Ocean, and of India’s potential to counter China in the Indian Ocean.
• Optimism of observers: Coming on the heels of the delivery of the first two U.S. manufactured MH-60R (Multi Role Helicopters) to India (with a third craft due to arrive later this month) the visit of the USNS Charles Drew has given Indian and U.S. observers optimism.

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) cooperation:

• Associate member: The Indian Navy has formally commenced its cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), as an ‘associate member’.
  • This comes months after India had announced its intention to join the grouping in furtherance of its regional security goals.
• Collective responsibility: India’s political and military leadership is seeing this as a demonstration of Indian commitment towards the collective responsibility of ensuring security in the shared commons.
• Pakistan is a member: The Indian Navy, it seems, has stopped short of formally joining the group, of which the Pakistan Navy is a key member.
• Non obligatory tasks: According to the CMF website, “associate members provide the assistance that they can offer, if they have the time and capacity to do so, whilst undertaking national tasking”.
  • This is not unlike India’s earlier model of cooperation, whereby the Indian Navy worked alongside CMF and other security forces in the Western Indian Ocean on a need-to basis — all while operating independently, and under the broader banner of the United Nations.

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF):

• It is a multinational maritime partnership, which exists to uphold the Rules-Based International Order (RBIO) by countering illicit non-state actors on the high seas and promoting security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Focus:

• Counter-narcotics, counter-smuggling, suppressing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and engaging with regional and other partners to strengthen relevant capabilities in order to improve overall security and stability, and promoting a safe maritime environment free from illicit non-state actors.
• When requested, CMF assets at sea will also respond to environmental and humanitarian incidents.

Way Forward

• Limited to cargo ships: The agreement with India for the repair of U.S. military vessels is limited to cargo ships.
  • S. decision makers are unlikely to seek Indian facilities for repair and replenishment of U.S. destroyers and frigates in the near future until India is clear about the need for strategic cooperation with the U.S. Navy.
• Navy-to-navy ties: The India-U.S. maritime relationship remains a work in progress. There has doubtless been some movement ahead, but it is far from clear whether navy-to-navy ties are headed towards a wide-ranging and comprehensive partnership in the Indian Ocean littorals.
• Diplomatic maneuvering and economic and military assertion: Appropriate diplomatic maneuvering and economic and military assertion is vital for the implementation of India’s interests in the region along with leveraging the space as a building block for a multipolar world order.

QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

1. What is the significance of Indo-US deals over Indo-Russian defense deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region(UPSC 2020)

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

1. The USA is facing an existential threat in the form of China, that is much more challenging than the erstwhile Soviet Union.” Explain.(UPSC 2021)

(200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)