NEW DELHI: India is set to ink the fourth and final ‘foundational military pact’, called the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geospatial Cooperation (BECA), with the US to further tighten the strategic clinch between the two countries.
Officials on Monday said BECA, which will enable the US to share advanced satellite and topographical data for long-range navigation and missile-targeting with India, was “very likely” to be inked during the ‘two-plus-two’ dialogue here. Defence minister Rajnath Singh and foreign minister S Jaishankar will hold the dialogue with their US counterparts Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo on October 26-27.
India inked the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with the US in 2002, which was followed by the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016, and then the Communications, Compatibility and Security Arrangement (COMCASA) in2018. BECA expedited during US President Donald Trump’s visit to India in February.