In 2018, at the 2+2 meeting, India and the United States signed the COMCASA. Michael Pompeo termed the ‘Communications, Compatibility, and Security Agreement (COMCASA)’ agreement a “milestone” in the relationship, and Nirmala Sitharaman asserted that the pact would enhance India’s defense capability and preparedness.
Today, India and the US come up with their first ever communication link under the landmark Indo-US COMCASA pact. This secure communication link is between the naval headquarters and the US Central and Pacific Naval Commands.
This agreement permits the Indian military to function on high-end secured and encrypted communication equipment that is installed on American platforms obtained by the Indian Armed Forces. These platforms include C-130 J, C-17, P-8I aircraft, and Apache and Chinook helicopters. This facilitates greater interoperability between forces and military hardware of the two countries and possibly with other countries operating on US-origin platforms. Due to the non-signing of COMCASA, these platforms were using commercially available communication systems.
It surely boosts the Indian defense diplomacy by establishing a secure active link between the two navies. As per some reliable sources, the connection was set up by a US team that visited India recently. Such secure communication will help hold an “interoperable” environment for militaries.
With a mutual aim for global stability as well as support for the rules-based international order, the US and India have an agreement on their interests, including not only maritime security but also maritime domain awareness along with counter-piracy, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance, and coordinated responses to natural disasters and transnational threats.
Over the years, the the two nations’ militaries have participated in five significant exercises, executing more than 50 other military exchanges. With this pact, the US government will be able to give the go-ahead to install the best communication equipment on relevant platforms being sold to India.
