02-11-2020 | 14:55 PM
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation
Context
India and the U.S. signed the last foundational agreement, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation (BECA) during the third round of 2+2 ministerial dialogue on 27 October 2020.
Highlights
On 27 October, India and the U.S. signed the last foundational agreement BECA.
It was the third edition of India-USA 2+2 dialogue.
During the visit five agreements were signed.
The BECA Agreement will provide India with access to U.S extremely precise geo-spatial data.
Spatial data will have a range of military applications which will further help in enhancing the accuracy of India's missile systems and armed drones.
Predator-B uses spatial data for precise strikes on enemy targets.
BECA is significant precursor to India acquiring armed unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator-B from the USA.
BECA is one of the four foundational military communication agreements between the two countries.
Earlier, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed in 2016.
The Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed in 2018.
The General Security Agreement on Military Information (GSOMIA) between India and the United States was signed in 2002.
In 2016, the US designated India as it's "Major Defense Partner."
In the past years, both countries have taken measures such as positioning a USN LO at Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) and Indian LO at the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), Bahrain, to strengthen defence cooperation.
BECA
BECA is Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation.
It is basically a communication agreement that has been proposed between the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defence and the Indian Union Ministry of Defence.
With this agreement, India and the US will be able to exchange important military information such as advanced satellite and topographic data including maps, geophysical data, geodetic data, geomagnetic data, gravity data and nautical and aeronautical charts.
The agreement also includes the provision of sharing classified information with proper safeguards and will further ensure that it is not shared with any third party.
India-USA 2+2 ministerial dialogue
It is the highest-level institutional mechanism between India and USA that brings together our perspectives on foreign policy, defence and strategic issues. It was first held in New Delhi in 2018 and the second India-US 2+2 dialogue was held in Washington, DC in 2019.
