While India-US economic collaboration with no strings attached can only be welcome, not so matters of strategic import. That explains why the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) took 12 years to be signed. The Indian Defence ministry has explained that LEMOA “establishes basic terms, conditions and procedure for reciprocal provision of Logistic Support Supplies and Services between the armed forces of India and the US”. Mutual support does not cover all fields. Its application is confined to authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. Logistics support, if any, in other areas will be selective and subject to scrutiny. In this respect, it differs from Logistics Support Agreements (LSA) between the US and other countries. Washington would have wanted New Delhi to sign it on the dotted line. Not merely the UPA but the NDA government also decided to go through the stipulations with a fine tooth -comb. In view of recent global developments and the shadow of the White House, coming under is xenophobic President like Donald Trump, the Modi government was not overanxious to cozy up with the US, especially in matters military.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has made it clear that the Agreement does not put any obligations on either party. No joint activity is obligatory and bases are not to be considered. There is no fear of a Diego Garcia coming up. There can be no criticism of Delhi’s guarded approach. Defence is a sensitive area and cannot be opened to the slightest interference by a superpower. There are two other pacts in the offing -a Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on geo-spatial services (BECA). Parrikar was reticent on these two pending facts. The Indian government has done well not to rush into a US defence umbrella.
