I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4825 
To enhance defense and security cooperation with India, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 22, 2016 
Mr. HOLDING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To enhance defense and security cooperation with India, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘U.S.-India Defense 
Technology and Partnership Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ENHANCING DEFENSE AND SECURITY COOPERA-
TION WITH INDIA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The United States and India face mutual 
security threats and a robust defense partnership is 
in the interest of both countries. 
(2) The relationship between the United States 
and India has developed over the past decade to be-
come a multifaceted, major strategic partnership 
rooted in shared democratic values and the pro-
motion of mutual prosperity, greater economic co-
operation, regional peace, security, and stability. 
(3) In 2012, the Department of Defense began 
an initiative to increase senior-level oversight and 
engagement on defense cooperation between the 
United States and India, which is referred to as the 
U.S.-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative 
(DTTI). 
(4) On June 3, 2015, the Government of the 
United States and the Government of India entered 
into an executive agreement entitled ‘‘Framework 
for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship’’, which re-
newed and updated the previous defense framework 
agreement between the United States and India, ex-
ecuted on June 28, 2005. 
(5) Consistent with the Framework for the 
U.S.-India Defense Relationship and the goals of the 
DTTI, it is in the interest of United States national 
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security to improve defense cooperation and the 
alignment of systems with India, achieve greater 
interaction between the armed forces of both coun-
tries, increase the flow of technology and investment, 
develop capabilities and partnerships in co-develop-
ment and co-production, and strengthen two-way de-
fense trade. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the United States-India defense partnership 
is vital to regional and international stability and se-
curity; 
(2) the interest of United States national secu-
rity can be improved by further advancing the goals 
of the Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Rela-
tionship and the effective operation of the DTTI; 
(3) the President should take action to— 
(A) formalize India’s status as a major 
partner of the United States; 
(B) designate an official with experience in 
defense acquisition and technology to reinforce 
and ensure, through interagency policy coordi-
nation, the success of the Framework for the 
U.S.-India Defense Relationship; 
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(C) approve and facilitate the transfer of 
advanced technology in the context of, and in 
order to satisfy, combined military planning 
with the Indian military for missions such as 
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, 
counter piracy, and maritime domain aware-
ness; 
(D) strengthen the effectiveness of the 
DTTI and the durability of the Department of 
Defense’s ‘‘India Rapid Reaction Cell’’; 
(E) resolve issues impeding United States- 
India defense trade, security cooperation, and 
co-production and co-development opportunities; 
(F) collaborate with the Government of 
India to develop mutually agreeable mechanisms 
to verify the security of defense technology in-
formation and equipment, such as tailored 
cyber security and end use monitoring arrange-
ments; 
(G) promote policies that will encourage 
the efficient review and authorization of defense 
sales and exports to India, including the treat-
ment of military sales and export authorizations 
to India in a manner similar to that of the 
United States closest defense partners; 
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(H) pursue greater government-to-govern-
ment and commercial military transactions be-
tween the United States and India; and 
(I) support the development and alignment 
of India’s export control and procurement re-
gimes with those of the United States and mul-
tilateral control regimes; and 
(4) the President’s commitment to enhancing 
defense and security cooperation with India should 
be considered a priority with respect to advancing 
United States interests in the South Asia and great-
er Indo-Pacific regions. 
(c) MILITARY CONTINGENCY PLANS.—The President 
is encouraged to coordinate with India on an annual basis 
to develop military contingency plans for addressing 
threats to mutual security interests of both countries. 
(d) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall, on an 
annual basis, carry out an assessment of the extent 
to which India possesses strategic operational capa-
bilities to execute military operations of mutual in-
terest between the United States and India. 
(2) USE OF ASSESSMENT.—The President shall 
ensure that the assessment described in paragraph 
(1) is used to inform the review by the United 
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States of applications to sell or export defense arti-
cles, defense services, or technical data under the 
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 
(3) FORM.—The assessment described in para-
graph (1) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
be in classified form. 
(4) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘strategic operational capabilities’’ means the ability 
to execute military operations of mutual security in-
terest while sustaining minimal damages and casual-
ties, through the use of military means, possessed in 
sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, 
control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, 
and reconnaissance capabilities. 
(e) FOREIGN MILITARY SALES AND EXPORT STATUS 
UNDER ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT.—The Arms Ex-
port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
sections 
3(d)(2)(B), 
3(d)(3)(A)(i), 
3(d)(5), 36(b)(1), 36(b)(2), 36(b)(6), 36(c)(2)(A), 
36(c)(5), 36(d)(2)(A), 62(c)(1), and 63(a)(2), by in-
serting ‘‘India,’’ before ‘‘or New Zealand’’ each place 
it appears; 
(2) in section 3(b)(2), by inserting ‘‘the Govern-
ment of India,’’ before ‘‘or the Government of New 
Zealand’’; and 
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(3) in sections 21(h)(1)(A) and 21(h)(2), by in-
serting ‘‘India,’’ before ‘‘or Israel’’ each place it ap-
pears. 
Æ 
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