I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2123 

To provide for United States actions to advance the United States-India 

strategic relationship. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 8, 2019 

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. HOLDING, 

Ms. GABBARD, Mr. YOHO, and Mr. BERA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for United States actions to advance the United 

States-India strategic relationship. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-India 

5 Enhanced Cooperation Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The turmoil in the world poses a serious 

9 threat to United States national security interests 

10 and requires cooperation with allies and friendly naVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:01 Apr 16, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2123.IH H2123

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1 tions that are willing to work with the United States 

2 in pursuit of shared objectives. 

3 (2) The June 7, 2016, paragraph 17 of the 

4 India-United States Joint Statement entitled ‘‘The 

5 United States and India: Enduring Global Partners 

6 in the 21st Century’’, notes that the United States7 India defense relationship can be an anchor of sta8 bility, and given the increasingly strengthened co9 operation in defense, the United States recognized 

10 India as a Major Defense Partner. 

11 (3) As such, the United States committed to 

12 continue to work toward facilitating technology shar13 ing with and transfer of advanced strategic military 

14 capability to India on a level commensurate with 

15 that of its closest allies and partners. The leaders of 

16 the two countries reached an understanding under 

17 which India would receive license-free access to a 

18 wide range of dual-use technologies in conjunction 

19 with steps that India has committed to take to ad20 vance its export control objectives. 

21 (4) As such, in support of India’s initiative to 

22 develop a domestic defense industrial capability and 

23 to support integration into the global supply chain, 

24 the United States committed to continuing to facili25 tate the export of goods and technologies, consistent 


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1 with United States law, for projects, programs and 

2 joint ventures in support of official United States3 India defense and security cooperation. 

4 (5) Section 1292 of the National Defense Au5 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 

6 2751 note), relating to enhancing defense and secu7 rity cooperation with India, requests that the Sec8 retary of Defense and Secretary of State jointly take 

9 such actions as may be necessary to recognize In10 dia’s status as a major defense partner of the 

11 United States, consistent with the June 7, 2016, 

12 India-United States Joint Statement. 

13 (6) On July 30, 2018, Secretary of Commerce 

14 Wilbur Ross announced that India, because of its 

15 status as a major defense partner, would be moved 

16 to the Department of Commerce’s Strategic Trade 

17 Authorization Tier 1 license designation list which 

18 enables greater availability for exports and reexports 

19 to, and transfers within, India for articles under the 

20 Export Administration Regulations. In its final rule 

21 issued on August 3, 2018, the Department of Com22 merce’s Bureau of Industry and Security stated that 

23 the rule, which enabled India to be moved to the 

24 Tier 1 list, ‘‘befits India’s status as a Major Defense 

25 Partner’’. 


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1 (7) The Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 

2 2018 (Public Law 115–409) recognizes the ‘‘vital 

3 role of the strategic partnership between the United 

4 States and India’’, and finds that the designation of 

5 India as a major defense partner ‘‘elevates defense 

6 trade and technology cooperation between the 

7 United States and India to a level commensurate 

8 with the closest allies and partners of the United 

9 States’’. 

10 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

11 It is the policy of the United States to— 

12 (1) approve and facilitate the transfer of ad13 vanced technology and strategic capability, con14 sistent with United States conventional arms trans15 fer policy, to support combined military planning 

16 with India for missions such as humanitarian assist17 ance and disaster relief, counter piracy, freedom of 

18 navigation, and maritime domain awareness mis19 sions, and to promote weapons systems interoper20 ability; 

21 (2) reassure India that the United States recog22 nizes the importance of security of supply for major 

23 defense capabilities acquired from the United States 

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1 sistent with United States law, to not disrupt such 

2 supply; 

3 (3) collaborate with the Government of India in 

4 developing mutually agreeable mechanisms to verify 

5 the security of defense articles, defense services, and 

6 related technology, such as appropriate cyber secu7 rity and end-use monitoring arrangements, con8 sistent with United States export control laws and 

9 policy; 

10 (4) promote policies that will encourage the effi11 cient review and authorization of defense sales and 

12 export to India; and 

13 (5) continue to enhance defense and security 

14 cooperation with India in order to advance United 

15 States interests in the South Asia and greater Indo16 Asia-Pacific regions. 

17 SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ACTIONS TO ADVANCE THE UNITED 

18 STATES-INDIA STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP. 

19 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con20 gress that the United States should take the following ac21 tions to advance the United States-India strategic rela22 tionship: 

23 (1) Seek to enhance the capabilities of the 

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1 mon threats, increase security cooperation, and ex2 pand joint military exercises. 

3 (2) Encourage and facilitate the role as priority 

4 partners in the South Asia and greater Indo-Asia5 Pacific regions. 

6 (3) Support the mutual interest in maritime se7 curity and maritime domain awareness, as well as 

8 enhanced military cooperation in joint exercises, 

9 training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster 

10 relief. 

11 (4) Conduct a joint assessment, led by the Sec12 retary of State in partnership with the Secretary of 

13 Defense, of the extent to which India possesses ca14 pabilities to support and carry out military oper15 ations of mutual interest to the United States and 

16 India, including an assessment of the defense export 

17 control regulations and policies that need appro18 priate modification, in recognition of India’s capa19 bilities and its status as a major defense partner. 

20 (b) REPORT.—Subparagraph (B) of section 

21 1292(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 

22 Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 2559; 

23 22 U.S.C. 2751 note) is amended— 

24 (1) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

25 semicolon at the end; 


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1 (2) in clause (v), by striking the period at the 

2 end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

4 clause: 

5 ‘‘(vi) a description in the progress 

6 made in implementing existing agreements 

7 between the United States and India, in8 cluding the Communications Compatibility 

9 and Security Agreement (COMCASA) 

10 signed at the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial 

11 Dialogue in September 2018, the Defense 

12 Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), 

13 and the Memorandum of Intent between 

14 the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) 

15 and the Indian Defence Innovation Organi16 zation—Innovation for Defence Excellence 

17 (DIO–iDEX).’’. 

18 (c) FOREIGN MILITARY SALES AND EXPORT STATUS

19 UNDER ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT.—The Arms Ex20 port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) is amended— 

21 (1) in section 3(b)(2), by inserting ‘‘the Govern22 ment of India,’’ before ‘‘or the Government of New 

23 Zealand’’; 

24 (2) in sections 3(d)(2)(B), 3(d)(3)(A)(i), 

25 3(d)(5), 21(e)(2)(A), 36(b)(1), 36(b)(2), 36(b)(6), 


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1 36(c)(2)(A), 36(c)(5), 36(d)(2)(A), 62(c)(1), and 

2 63(a)(2), by inserting ‘‘India,’’ before ‘‘or New Zea3 land’’ each place it appears; and 

4 (3) in sections 21(h)(1)(A) and 21(h)(2), by in5 serting ‘‘India,’’ before ‘‘or Israel’’ each place it ap6 pears. 

Æ 


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