5th Fleet Focus: US Building Strategic Partnership with India

A major theme in building strategic partnerships over the last few years has been to establish new Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreements (ACSA) with nations in areas including the Pacific and Middle East. The Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement with Japan, for example, has been one the core agreement for military partnership in the Pacific very similar to the cold war partnerships the US had with the United Kingdom and West Germany in preparation for a war against the Soviet Union. ACSA agreements serve as a framework for establishing terms and conditions for exchange of logistics support for a number of interests, including:

• joint training
• joint exercises
• peacekeeping operations
• humanitarian and disaster relief operations
• contingency operations

One of the first countries usually discussed regarding establishing a Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreements (ACSA) with is India, and it appears the US and India are very close to doing exactly that.

The Left may protest all it wants but the UPA government, much like the previous NDA regime, is steadily stepping up India's already robust defence and strategic relationship with the US.

The latest on the Indo-US bilateral radar screen is the American Acquisition and Cross-Serving Agreement (ACSA), couched in more palatable phraseology for Indian political sensitivities as a "logistics support agreement". Under this military agreement, the Indian and American armed forces will provide each other with logistic support, refuelling and berthing facilities, supplies and other services — on a reimbursable or equal-value exchange basis — for warships, aircraft and the like.

Some of the specific benefits ACSA will provide to visiting military forces will include logistics support in the form of supplies, petroleum, and transportation. Base operations support and the use of repair and maintenance facilities are key elements to the ACSA agreement, and would allow US access to Indian airfields and ports. In addition to host nation supplies and services, Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreements can give the U.S. access to basing and infrastructure necessary for force projection.

This would be a big win for both the US and India, making an immediate impact for the United States in region, but also making a considerable impact for India as it extends its reach throughout the Indian Ocean where the Indian Navy will be able to gain access to US Navy logistical resources. Access to US Navy logistics at sea is a major win for the Indian Navy, as it removes some of the burden operating in areas beyond the Red Sea to India's west, or beyond the Strait of Malacca to the east. The air refueling aspect of the agreement will also be useful for India, because it provides logistics services for exercises in places where it can get expensive to operate so far from home.