The US Senate passed an order on 2 July 2019 to give India a key NATO ally status, at par with its key allies in Asia like Japan and South Korea.
The United States Senate, in a key move, has passed a bill giving India its NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) Ally status, at par with America’s other significant NATO allies Japan, Australia and South Korea.
NATO also called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. NATO also includes additional member nations from Asia.
The National Defence Authorisation Act or NDAA for the year 2020 initiated this proposal. A bill has been passed to finally bring India at par as a NATO ally.
The development comes amidst marathon meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in G-20 Summit 2020, Osaka and the subsequent visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to New Delhi.
Senate India Caucus Co-Chair, Senator John Cornyn proposed the legislation with the support of Senate India Caucus Co-Chair Senator Mark Warner.
It proposes enhanced US-India Defence Cooperation in the Indian Ocean, upholding the areas of counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and maritime security.
The final bill to uphold India’s status as a key NATO ally to the USA will be signed into law after both the chambers of the US Congress the House of Representatives and the Senate pass it.
The US Senate, in its legislative meeting, urged to hold more joint exercises between the two countries. Previous Joint Indo-US military and naval exercises have been held in the Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions. It was urged to conduct such exercises in the Persian Gulf region as well.
In recognition of the shared democratic values and commitment to free navigation, another suggestion in the budget document is to increase engagement with India in multilateral frameworks like regional security, defence and combating terrorism.
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