US specialist team starts meeting with India to negotiate text of military agreement “COMCASA”

To negotiate the text of Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), the meeting between the team of specialists from United States and with their counterparts on the Indian side has started in Delhi from June 18-20, 2018. The meeting is a part of preparations for the 2+2 dialogue between the foreign and defence ministers of India and the US in Washington in July 2018. So far, India has signed only one of the foundational agreements, called the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) and COMCASA are the two remaining pacts that were not signed due to severe criticism from within the government. The COMCASA is a “foundational” military communications agreement. It essentially provides a legal framework for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India that would facilitate interoperability between Indian and US forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links.