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India is a developing country in which defense and sovereignty maintenance is an important issue that also includes global defense strategies. Let's explore this topic to find out what India's military, navy, and airforce, globally can do. From Indo-Pacific to Ladakh, China's advancement is a global concern, particularly for western powers. In the last 20 years, China has increased its military spending. In this case, India is also working on some bases. In this article, we will discuss its overseas military bases. And in which countries can India use the military base in case of any conflict. We will explore the Indian military presence of India from Oman to Bhutan and Tajikistan.
Imagine if there is a global conflict and the target of the conflict is India then there must be counter mechanisms to cope with such critical situations which can save India from severe impact. This is what the strategic policymakers must have been thinking in Delhi. Although there are no military bases in the western hemisphere of India, that is to say, India has no its own bases in the Indian Ocean, it does not mean that India cannot do anything. India has been actively engaged with major states to ensure its military presence in the Indian Ocean, for example, India has signed three foundational agreements with the US and the long-standing General Security of Military Information Agreement since 2002. Accordingly, India can use US military bases.
Read:India-China war: India's Economic plans to counter China:
Central Asia: Farkhor base:
Being a developing country, India lacks its own military facilities. There are several other countries where military bases are used for mutual cooperation. India has been steadily taking steps since 2001 to establish its military presence. In 2002, India built its first military base in Tajikistan. It is not a full-fledged Indian base, but has an Indian military station and is controlled along with the Tajik military. This base provides the required range and depth to the Indian Army in Central Asia. The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) began negotiations in 1996 to use Farkhor Air Base from Tajikistan. Initially, the base was used to supply high-altitude military equipment and intelligence to the Afghan Northern Alliance. When the talks began, a military hospital was set up in the region. India later established an airbase, which was taken from Russia. This base also antagonized Pakistan. The base is an important foreign military base for India.
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| Map location of Tajikistan: Wikipedia |
Chabahar port:
In addition, India is developing a port in Iran that solves its connectivity problem. China's interest in the Chabahar port is growing and India is concerned that if the Chabahar port becomes inaccessible to India, it will increase difficulty in accessing Tajikistan's military base.
Jarawa Base in Nicobar and Andaman:
India has modernized its base in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is close to the Malacca Strait, an important chokepoint. Andaman and Nicobar, which is a union territory of India, has Indian naval services in Jarawa base under the command of Andaman and Nicobar. From this India gets advancement to counter Southeast Asia and the South China Sea.
Madagascar and Mauritius:
According to the Sasakawa Peace Foundation report, India is also developing naval surveillance facilities in Madagascar and Mauritius. In 2015, India took over the Agalega island lease from Mauritius and a military facility is being set up here at an estimated cost of $87 million.
India has also expedited its annual tour with small divisions of ships in countries situated around the Indian Ocean. But these maneuvers demand access to ports’ rights in every country. In 2016, India secured access rights to Diego Garcia from the US, Duqam port from Oman, and Reunion Island from France. In 2018, the government of India had agreed to build a base on Assumption Island in Seychelles. On this island, India is building a joint military base with Seychelles.
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| Indian military basis in Indian Ocean: Pic Global Village |
Foundational agreements:
Further, India has signed three foundational agreements with the US. Accordingly, US military to military cooperation can be provided if required. Let’s understand these agreements briefly.
India has no global military bases. The United States and India signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) in October 2020. Earlier in 2016, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) was signed and in 2018, the Communications of Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) was signed. With these agreements, India and the United States have completed the troika of foundational agreements. The development of these agreements will lead to deeper military cooperation between the two countries.
Read:China and Taiwan: the western bloc against China?
LEMOA:
According to this agreement, both countries’ designated military facilities can be used for refueling and replenishment. From this agreement, primarily four areas are covered including port calls, joint exercises, training, and humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief.
COMCASA:
This agreement was signed in 2018, which is called COMCASA which is valid up to 10 years. This allows India to procure specialized equipment for encrypted communications existing on C-17, C-130, and P8Is US foreign platforms. From this agreement, India has access to advanced defense systems and India can optimally utilize the US-origin platforms. There are additional specific provisions in agreements that safeguard India's security or national interest. From this, India and the US militaries are enabled for greater communications and interoperability. Both countries will implement this agreement in a Manner that must not threaten national security.
BECA:
This agreement was signed in 2020. From this, India will have real-time access to American Geospatial intelligence. The automated system of this access and weapons will enhance the accuracy of missiles and armed drones for India. India has pacts with the US, but there are some countries such as, Russia, the UK, and Vietnam, etc., with which India's logistics and military cooperation talks are under discussion.
Quad nations:
India has signed a logistic agreement with Japan in September 2020. With this agreement, India has signed Logistic Pacts with all the Quad countries. QUAD includes Japan, India, the United States, and Australia, which have military cooperation. With these agreements, India can gain access to the military supplies of the countries concerned. By signing the agreement with Russia, India will have access to Russian facilities in the Arctic region, and Russian shipping routes and resources will be available to India.
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Summing up:
Before concluding this article, let's take a quick look at India's global presence. It has signed agreements with the United States as a step towards military cooperation, intelligence gathering, and disaster management. It gives India access to the global front. The same is true with Japan, Russia, Britain, Vietnam, and Australia, and so on. Indian military bases are only in the Indian Ocean, but since India's relations with Russia Britain, and other countries are deep, India can gain access to their military bases.
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