Advancing U.S.-India Defense Cooperation Act

Advancing U.S.-India Defense Cooperation Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that:

• the U.S.-India defense partnership is vital to regional and international stability and security, and
• the President's commitment to enhancing defense and security cooperation with India should be considered a priority with respect to advancing U.S. interests in the South Asia and greater Indo-Pacific regions.

The bill declares that the President should:

• take action to formalize India's status as a U.S. major partner;
• resolve issues impeding U.S.-India defense trade, security cooperation, and coproduction and chemotherapeutic opportunities;
• pursue greater U.S.-India government-to-government and commercial military transactions; and
• facilitate the transfer of advanced technology with the Indian military for missions such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, and maritime domain awareness.

The President is encouraged to coordinate with India annually to develop military contingency plans for addressing threats to mutual security interests.

The President shall: (1) annually assess the extent to which India possesses strategic operational capabilities to execute military operations of mutual interest to the United States and India; and (2) ensure that such assessment is used in reviewing applications to sell or export defense articles, defense services, or technical data.

The Arms Export Control Act is amended to extend special foreign military sales status to India.