RELEASE: KHANNA, SHERMAN, SCHWEIKERT URGE STRONGER US-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP
Washington, D.C. — Rep Ro Khanna (D-CA), Congressional India Caucus Vice Chair and Member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act with Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Co-Chair of the India Caucus and Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) to strengthen the U.S.-India defense partnership in response to increasing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
"As China escalates its aggression along the Indian-Chinese border, the oldest democracy in the world must stand with the largest democracy world to send an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and international law must be respected," said Rep Khanna. "I urge Congress to take up my provision to strengthen the U.S.-India defense partnership, and I urge the Administration to issue a CAASTA waiver for India to prevent any weakening of that important partnership. Failing to do so will only push India closer towards Russia given their security needs."
"Given the uptick in Chinese aggression in India's Ladakh region and rising regional threats, it's imperative that we continue to strengthen America's defense and security relationship with India," said Rep. Sherman. "India is a natural American partner with which we share a unique bond based on common democratic values, and this amendment serves as an opportunity to further build on the U.S.-India strategic partnership to the benefit of both nations. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this vital amendment through the House."
"It is in the United States' interest to partner with India, a country with which we share a strong bond and democratic values" said Rep. Schweikert. "This amendment reaffirms our current defense partnership with India while ensuring a strong relationship between our two great nations will continue for years to come. We cannot allow adversaries like Russia and China to take advantage of our lack of action or bureaucratic hurdles. I look forward to seeing this important, timely, and bipartisan amendment make its way through the House."
The measure also urges the Biden administration to use the authority Congress has provided to it to issue a waiver to ensure that India won't be sanctioned under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law that imposes secondary sanctions on countries purchasing arms from Russia. While the United States should take additional action to help India accelerate its transition from Russian arms, the application of CAATSA sanctions in the current threat environment that India faces could have a devastating impact on the U.S.-Indian defense partnership.
A CAASTA waiver of these sanctions is in the best interests of the United States and the United States-India defense partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China's close partnership.
This amendment was introduced for House floor consideration in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act. Next week, the House Rules Committee will decide on whether the amendment is voted on the House floor during the FY23 NDAA debate.
Full text of the amendment is below and here.
SEC. 1336. UNITED STATES-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP.
a. STRONG UNITED STATES-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP.—It is the sense of Congress that—
1. a strong United States-India defense partnership, rooted in shared democratic values, is critical in order to advance United States interests in the Indo-Pacific region; and
2. this partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies is critical and must continue to be strengthened in response to increasing threats in the Indo-Pacific regions, sending an unequivocal signal that sovereignty and international law must be respected.
b. UNITED STATES-INDIA INITIATIVE ON CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES (ICET).—The Congress finds that the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) is a welcome and essential step to developing closer partnerships between governments, academia, and industry in the United States and India to address the latest advances in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing. Such collaborations between engineers and computer scientists are vital to help ensure that the United States and India, as well as other democracies around the world, foster innovation and facilitate technological advances which continue to far outpace Russian and Chinese technology.
c. BORDER THREATS FROM CHINA AND RELIANCE ON RUSSIAN-BUILT WEAPONS.—Congress recognizes that—
1. India faces immediate and serious regional border threats from China, with continued military aggression by the Government of China along the India-China border,
2. India relies on Russian-built weapons for its national defense, and
3. the United States should take additional steps to encourage India to accelerate India's transition off Russian-built weapons and defense systems while strongly supporting India's immediate defense needs.
d. WAIVER OF CAATSA SANCTIONS IN BEST INTERESTS OF UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES-INDIA DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP.—While India faces immediate needs to maintain its heavily Russian-built weapons systems, a waiver to sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act during this transition period is in the best interests of the United States and the United States-India defense partnership to deter aggressors in light of Russia and China's close partnership.
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