US again backs India’s NSG bid; tells others to do so

The Donald Trump administration in the US has affirmed its support to India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and said it has called on other members of the group to back New Delhi's application.

The 48-member NSG controls international civil nuclear trade.

"The United States welcomed India's application to join the NSG and it continues to re-affirm that India is ready for the membership. The United States has called on NSG members to support India's application," the Department of Defence and Department of State said in a joint report.

In the report submitted to Congress as required under National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2017, the Trump administration also re-affirmed its support for India's membership in the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement as soon as India meets each group's membership criteria.

The US and India share a commitment to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the report said.

China has been opposing India's bid on the grounds that it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). China's opposition has made India's entry into the group difficult as the NSG is guided by the consensus principle.

A plenary meeting of the NSG in Bern last month had discussed India's membership bid and decided to hold another meeting in November to discuss the issue.

"Since 2010, the US has supported India's membership in the four multilateral export control regimes - Wassenaar Arrangement, NSG, Australia Group, and the Missile Technology Control Regime - as India prepared to take the steps required for membership in each one," the report said.

It said the US welcomed India as a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime and its subscription to The Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation in June 2016.

The report notes that the future leadership of Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) will consist of an individual with experience in defence acquisition and technology to reinforce and ensure the success of the US-India Defence Relationship. This individual will help resolve remaining issues impeding bilateral defence trade and other cooperation, it said.

Since 2008, the US and India have concluded more than $15 billion in defence trade, including the transfer from the US to India of C-130J and C-17 transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, Harpoon missiles, Apache and Chinook helicopters, and M777 light-weight Howitzers.

India operates the second largest C-17 and P-8 fleets in the world, recently using its C-17s to deliver humanitarian assistance to Nepal and evacuate civilians from Yemen, the report added.

The US had designated India a "Major Defence Partner" in June 2016 intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

"The Major Defence Partner designation reflects the readiness of the United States to facilitate the export of goods and technologies for projects, programs, and joint ventures in support of official US-India defence cooperation," said the report.

In 2012, the US Department of Defence and India's Ministry of Defence established the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) as a means of strengthening industrial cooperation and moving away from the traditional "buyer- seller" approach.

"The US-India defence relationship has matured and strengthened significantly over the past 15 years. Our strategic partnership rests on our shared democratic values, security interests, and strong people-to-people ties," the report said.