US defence body clears supply of military hardware to India

New Delhi: The United States has cleared a proposal to supply critical military hardware and logistic support assets worth $131 million to India, in line with the strategic ties between the two countries.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) that operates under the Pentagon has delivered the required certification for the military supplies and notified the US Congress of the possible sale, according to an American readout.

The approval for the supplies came amid the Donald Trump administration pushing New Delhi to increase its military procurement from the US.

The proposed supplies through the "foreign military sale" route are linked to the India-US cooperation under the framework of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness programme.

The DSCA's mission is to advance US national security and foreign policy interests by building the capacity of foreign security forces to respond to shared challenges.

"The State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to India of Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness and related equipment for an estimated cost of $131 million," the readout said.

It said India had requested to buy "sea-vision software, "remote software" and "analytic support", besides access to "sea-vision" documentation and other related elements of logistics.

There was no immediate comment from Indian officials on the proposed supplies.

The estimated cost is $131 million, the US readout noted.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship and to improve the security of a major defence partner which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions," it said.

The US said the proposed sale will improve India's capability to meet current and future threats by bolstering its maritime domain awareness, analytical capabilities and strategic posture.

India will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces, it added.

"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," it said.

The principal contractor for the supplies will be Hawkeye 360, located in Herndon, Virginia, the readout said.

There will be no adverse impact on the US' defence readiness as a result of this proposed sale, it added.