This maritime partnership is still a work in progress
- The recent docking of USNS Charles Drew, a United States Navy dry cargo ship, for repairs at an Indian facility in Chennai, marks an important milestone in the India U.S. military relationship.
- Discussed in recently held 2+2 dialogue
Indo-US Strategic Partnership:
- It is founded on shared values including
- A commitment to democracy
- Upholding the rules-based international system.
- Shared interests:
- Promoting global security and stability,
- Economic prosperity through trade, investment, and connectivity.
Implications of Recent Docking
- Functional Implications
- Signals a more efficient leveraging of LEMOA signed with the U.S. in 2017.
- Provide access to India to US repair facilities in Asia and beyond.
- A global endorsement of Indian shipbuilding and ship-repair capabilities.
- Geo-political implication:
- Signals a consolidation of the India-U.S. partnership, and QUAD.
- Suggests greater Indian readiness to accommodate the maritime interests of Quad partners.
- Would culminate in India opening up its naval bases for friendly foreign warships.
CMF cooperation
- Indian Navy has formally commenced its cooperation with the Bahrain-based multilateral partnership, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), as an ‘associate member’.
- Demonstrates Indian commitment towards the collective responsibility of ensuring security in the shared commons.