US President Signs Defence Bill to Deepen Strategic Ties with India

The annual defense policy bill has been signed by US President Donald Trump and thereby reaffirmed the intention of Washington to strengthen and expand Indo-Pacific region engagement, especially through the Quad framework, as a counter to the growing influence of China.

Trump said that the Act would support his “Peace Through Strength” strategy by protecting the US territory, reinforcing the defense industrial base, and maintaining military readiness at the same time cutting the funding for the programs that are considered non-essential. The Act expresses the "sense of Congress on defence alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region."

The Act states that the US Secretary of Defence must continue to build up the defence alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region to the extent that it becomes America's strategic advantage in the competition with China. A major area of concern is to increase India's engagement not only through bilateral but also multilateral approaches like the Quad (the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) to promote free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The law provides for the increase of defense trade, holding of joint military exercises, working together on maritime security, and also cooperating in humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The Quad—composed of India, the US, Japan, and Australia—was created in 2017 in response to the increased concerns over China's aggressive behavior in the region.

The Act also initiates a security project aimed at integrating all allies and partners of the US in the Indo-Pacific defense industrial base. Coordinated by the Secretaries of Defence and State, the initiative aims to enhance capacity, workforce development, supply chain security, interoperability and resilience across participating nations.

Countries that may be invited to join the initiative include Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the Philippines and New Zealand.

In addition, the legislation mandates the creation of a joint consultative mechanism under the US-India Strategic Security Dialogue to assess the implementation of the 2008 civil nuclear cooperation agreement. The mechanism will also explore ways for India to align its nuclear liability framework with international norms and pursue related bilateral and multilateral diplomatic efforts.

The US Secretary of State has been asked to submit a report on the joint assessment within 180 days of the Act’s enactment and annually for the next five years.

The defence bill further clarifies that for the purposes of the Act, an “ally or partner nation” includes members of the OECD, the Government of India, and any country designated as such by the US Secretary of State.