A legislation to fast-track weapons sales to India has been introduced in the US Congress, with a group of lawmakers saying strengthening the strategic partnership of the nations will safeguard their shared security interests. This comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State Visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The legislation introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday, seeks to place India on equal footing with other partners and allies of the US by streamlining and accelerating the review and sales process for foreign military sales and exports under the Arms Export Control Act. In the House of Representatives, it was introduced by Congressmen Mike Waltz, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Andy Barr, and Marc Veasey, while in the Senate, it was introduced by Mark Warner and John Cornyn. The lawmakers emphasized the importance of strengthening the global partnership between the United States and India to address the threats of today and promote security in the Indo-Pacific region. By removing red tape around military sales, the legislation recognizes India as a key partner and aims to expand security cooperation between the two nations. Strengthening the US-India strategic partnership is seen as vital to the prosperity and security of not only both the nations but also other democracies around the world.
