New Delhi: Ahead of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s visit to America, a US Congress committee has surprised the world by recommending India’s inclusion in ‘NATO Plus’ to the Biden government. The committee says that the inclusion of India will strengthen NATO Plus. NATO Plus is a security arrangement designed to promote global defense cooperation. It includes countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and South Korea. Now it is hoped that India will also be included in this.
The committee said that if India is made a part of NATO Plus, there will be a closer partnership between the US and India to counter China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region along with strengthening global security. It is being said that if India is made the sixth member of NATO Plus, there will be facility of intelligence sharing between these countries. Also, if India is included in NATO Plus, the country can be easily linked with America for defense and security.
“To win the strategic competition with the Chinese Communist Party and ensure Taiwan’s security, the United States needs to strengthen ties with our allies and security partners, including India,” the US select committee said. India’s inclusion in NATO Plus will enhance the close partnership between the US and India to counter CCP aggression in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen global security,” said Indian-American Ramesh Kapoor, who has been working on the proposal for the past six years. He expressed hope that this recommendation would find a place in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024 and that it would eventually become law.
What is NATO Plus?
NATO Plus is a security arrangement that brings together NATO and its five allies, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and South Korea, to enhance global defense cooperation. Including India in this will enable seamless sharing of intelligence between these countries and India will have access to modern military technology without any time delay. The House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) passed a policy resolution to enhance Taiwan’s deterrence capability, including strengthening NATO Plus by including India.