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.

Introduced by Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, the US-India Defense Technology and Partnership Act (HR 4825) proposes to amends the Arms Export Control Action so as to formalise India's status for the purpose of congressional notifications as a major partner of equal status as America's treaty allies and closest partners.

"This legislation will cement the process that has already been made and will lay a foundation for future cooperation and growth," Holding said in his remarks on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

"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," Holding said.

Welcoming the resolution, introduced ahead of US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's visit to India next month, the US India Business Council (USIBC) said that it sent an important signal to the Indian defense establishment that today's political conditions are different from the past.

"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," Holding said.

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, said Mukesh Aghi, USIBC president.

Noting that together the US and India face a range of shared security challenges, Holding stressed on the need to encourage deeper defense ties and closer cooperation between the two countries.

"The US-India Defense Technology and Partnership Act will build upon the recent progress made to strengthen our strategic partnership by facilitating closer collaboration, promoting greater defense trade, and by elevating India's status," he said.

In his remarks on the House floor, Holding also questioned the decision of the Obama Administration to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

"What, I ask, is the benefit of the sale to our national security and the security of the region and our partners? This is one question, but the request to use taxpayer dollars to finance the sale of these F-16s to Pakistan is entirely another question," he asked.

"What has Pakistan actually done to deserve these fighter jets let alone financing from the United States taxpayers? Certainly not enough, in my view, as I firmly oppose the sale from start to finish," Holding said.

Every year since 2011, the Administration has been



required to utilise a waiver to continue providing security assistance to Pakistan, he said.

"Why, you might ask, does the Administration need to continually use a waiver? Well, it's because Pakistan has failed to be an honest and real partner in efforts to combat terrorism that is exported from its borders," he said.

"On this front, I have joined with Congressman Bera to seek restriction on the availability of security assistance to Pakistan next fiscal year. We are not seeking to completely prohibit the use of the presidential waiver, we are simply asking that 30 per cent of the funds should be not subject to the waiver," Holding said.

"This is a commonsense step that will hopefully, after years of trying, get the Pakistani government to cooperate and meet the requirements set in law," he said.

The legislation encourages actions necessary to promote defense trade.

For the US, it encourages the government to designate an official to focus on US-India defense cooperation, facilitate the transfer of defense technology, maintain a special office in the Pentagon dedicated exclusively to the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

For India, it encourages the government to authorise combined military planning with the US for missions of mutual interest such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy and maritime domain awareness.