Agreement On Reciprocal Logistics Support Upsc

India signed the Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the United States in August 2016, after decades of negotiations. Since then, it has concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore and has gained access to the port of Sabang in Indonesia. “If we get the LSA, it will go a long way to facilitating future activity, which means that the scale of the activity involved means that the paperwork is quite huge,” diplomatic sources said. A diplomatic source said last year that a refuelling exercise between the two marines last year had “become a modeling exercise, because we couldn`t really switch on fuel because we didn`t have an agreement on logistics.” Logistics agreements are administrative arrangements that facilitate access to military fuel exchange facilities and agree, facilitate logistical support and strengthen the operational turning point of the Indian army. The ARLS with Russia is expected to be signed at the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in September on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia. Last month, a delegation led by Secretary of State Jiwesh Nandan visited Russia to conclude the agreement, according to the Defense Ministry in its monthly report. Moscow had sent a draft agreement early last year, and the MoD sent it in July to the Integrated Defence Staff and the three services for their positions. India is working to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSAs) by the end of the year, which will further improve the army`s operational reach in the region. India has already signed such agreements with some countries, starting with the United States. The navy took the most advantage. Australia had submitted an MLSA project shortly after India signed LEMOA, but New Delhi said at the time that it would use more logistics pacts after the first one was put into service. In March, before the bilateral naval exercise AUSINDEX, Australian diplomatic sources sounded the tone for a pact that said the argument for one was “imperative.” AUSINDEX saw the participation of Australia`s largest naval contingent to India with 1,000 employees and assets. It is an agreement that will allow access to India and Russia, military installations on the other for deliveries and fuel, the extension of logistical support and the operational shift of the Indian army.

Defense officials said the pact was long overdue because of deep defense and strategic cooperation between the two countries. The Russian agreement gives India access to its Facilities in the Arctic, which foresees an increase in global activity, due to the opening of new shipping routes and available resources, said a third official. The biggest beneficiary of the logistics pacts has been the navy, which interacts and trains most with foreign navies.