What are the foundational agreements?

• The U.S. has four “foundational” agreements that it signs with its countries with which it has close military ties.
• They are meant to build basic ground work and promote interoperability between militaries by creating common standards and systems. They also guide sale and transfer of high-end technologies.

GSOMIA

• The first of the four agreements, the General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was signed by India in 2002.
• The agreement enables the sharing of military intelligence between the two countries and requires each country to protect the others’ classified information.

LEMOA

• The second agreement, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), was signed by the two countries in 2016. 
• The pact gives both countries access to designated military facilities on either side for the purpose of refuelling and replenishment in primarily four areas — port calls, joint exercises, training and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
• The agreement does not make the provision of logistical support binding on either country, and requires individual clearance for each request.
• This is purely a logistical agreement. There will be no basing of the U.S. troops or assets on Indian soil.

COMCASA

• The third agreement, Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed during the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in 2018.
• It is an India-specific variant of Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA).
• It enables the two countries to share secure communication and exchange information on approved equipment during bilateral and multinational training exercises and operations. 
• It  is valid for a period of 10 years from the date of signing.
• COMCASA allows India to procure transfer specialised equipment for encrypted communications for US origin military platforms like the C-17, C-130 and P-8Is.

BECA

• The fourth agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) has not yet been signed. 
• It permits the exchange of unclassified and controlled unclassified geospatial products, topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data, products and services between India and the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
• BECA is an important enabler of unmanned aerial vehicles from the US, such as the Predator-B, that use spatial data for accurate strikes on enemy targets.

Why in News?

• India and the U.S. are expected to sign the last foundational agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation at the next India-U.S. 2+2 ministerial dialogue likely to be held in October end.
• Once concluded, India will have such arrangements with all Quad countries — Australia, Japan and the U.S.
• India has signed three foundational agreements: the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) and the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). An extension to the GSOMIA, the Industrial Security Annex (ISA), was signed at the last 2+2 dialogue.
• There has been a sharp increase in India’s maritime interactions with the Quad countries on a bilateral basis centred around information sharing for improved Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) in the Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific.
• While LEMOA has since been operationalised, COMCASA is at advanced stages of being operationalised. In increasing military to military interactions, the U.S. has posted a liaison officer at the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) meant to promote MDA.
• India has recently posted a liaison officer at the U.S. Navy Central Command in Bahrain and is also considering a U.S. request for posting liaison officers at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

Related information

About IFC-IOR

• The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) was inaugurated in 2018 within the premises of the Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) in Gurugram.
• The IMAC is the single point centre linking all the coastal radar chains to generate a seamless real-time picture of nearly 7,500-km coastline and of some neighbouring countries. It helps in tracking maritime movements in the region. 

About ISA

• India and the US have concluded the Industrial Security Annex at the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue held in 2019.
• It is expected to enable smooth transfer of classified technology and information between private entities of the U.S. and India. 
• The ISA is a part of the GSOMIA.

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-keen-on-finalising-geo-spatial-cooperation-at-22-dialogue-in-october/article32633882.ece