The reliability of agreements with U.S.

Extending its already existing defence agreements arsenal ( like LEMOA, BECA, COMCASA) India signed  another agreement with The U.S. i.e SOSA (  Security of Supplies Arrangement). The agreement mandates US and India to provide reciprocal priority support to boost up National defence. In the words of the US Department of Defense, " The arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs"

We all know this agreement can be important for India or the US ( perhaps we read a lot about its benefits in the news) but is it a game-changing agreement in reality? Will the U.S. stick to its commitment? Answers to these questions actually lie in the Socratian 'dialectical approach' exploring the critical a very different perspective which can't be found in mainstream media as of now.

S.O.S.A: A Critical Perspective

Recently P.M Modi travelled to Ukraine, the travel was seen as India's resolve to its Strategic Autonomy but as a matter of fact these foundational agreements in themselves against India's own autonomy in defense capability. Hence India's own strategic goals will align with the priorities of the US. 

To a certain level India may compromise its defence autonomy for getting best of class technology but what is still astonishing is that Indian contractors and sub-contractors will have to deal with the complex rules and regulations within the US defence procurement system. The contractors need to be CMMC certified and that has to be renewed every 3 years adding further problems and putting the whole defence procurement system in a conundrum.

USA already has an S.O.S.A  agreement with 17 countries and India is the 18th one. Now for an imaginary scenario, there is conflict in the Indian-Subcontinent and in the East-China Sea. How is the U.S. going to prioritize its resources and defence supplies?

These types of agreements will have direct repercussions and may militarize South Asia, regular military takeovers are complicating things further in the region. It can act just like a Trojan Horse limiting India's diplomatic manoeuvring dealing with Countries like P.R.C. or may start an arms race in the region!

Hence, Agreements like S.O.S.A although offers a variety of opportunities but also poses severe risks and challenges as India continues to assert its position in the Multi-polar world it needs to properly assess the agreement which it enters.