Resolution introduced to bring India on par with NATO allies

• A Congressional resolution aiming to bring India on par with NATO allies in terms of trade and technology transfer besides elevating its "status" in export of defense articles from the US has been introduced.
• This resolution is Introduced as US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act , which proposes to amends the Arms Export Control Action so as to formalize India's status for the purpose of congressional notifications as a major partner of equal status as Americas treaty allies and closest partners.
• This legislation will elevate India's status by shortening the time required for the notification of sale or export of defense articles from the United States to India.
• It will encourage more joint contingency planning and require the US government review and assess India's ability to execute military operations of mutual interest.
• This bill not only puts India on par with other NATO allies in terms of the notification period, it sends a clear signal to Washington and Delhi that defense cooperation should be a top priority for both governments.
• Defense trade between our countries is one of the strongest areas of the bilateral economic relationship and has risen from some USD 300 million to over USD 14 billion over the last 10 years.

About NATO:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO currently consists of 28 member states. The newest members are Albania and Croatia which joined in 2009. Other recent members include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia which joined in 2004. The other member states are Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Out of these 28 countries, 22 are also members of the European Union.
Principles of the NATO:

• The members of NATO will solve themselves the disputes which arise among them.
• They will make their relations strong through friendly co-operation.
• They will help each other for individual as well as Common Security.
• As far as the Sovereignty was concerned, they will help each other.
• Any attack on a country of Europe or North America will be treated as attack an whole of Europe and North America

Analysis:

• NATO has involved in a war to tackle terrorist-sponsoring state, an anti-piracy missions, training missions, toppling a dictator in North Africa, and helping end Serbian aggression in the Balkans. NATO has generally been a force for good, especially in its own backyard, and India could add to that.
• NATO probably isn't ready to expand beyond Europe, but if they did, India would/should be the most tempting country to expand to. A worldwide defensive alliance of democracies would be good and India is probably the greatest democracy missing from NATO.
• India’s entry into NATO leads to the cooperative research and development projects with the Department of Defense (DoD) on a shared-cost basis along with participation in certain counter-terrorism initiatives and purchase of depleted uranium anti-tank rounds.
• Although India have little to gain and much to lose by doing such a move. Firstly, by becoming a NATO nations our strong ties with Russia will get frayed.
• Also, India has taken part in 43 Peacekeeping missions with a total contribution exceeding 160,000 troops and a significant number of police personnel having been deployed. In 2014 India is the third largest troop contributor [TCC] with 7,860 personnel deployed with ten UN Peacekeeping Missions of which 995 are police personnel, including the first Female Formed Police Unit under the UN. So, there is no need for India to enter into NATO alliance and be it in more compulsory position.
• Pakistan is already a major non-NATO ally. If India starts having the same status and war breaks out, no NATO force will join.

By: Vishal