Jim Mattis and Narendra Modi
In picture: US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis calls on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington DC, the US, on June 26, 2017.Press Information Bureau

With India eyeing more defence equipment from Russia and the US, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the United States has upgraded India's status as a trading partner, bringing it on par with America's NATO allies.

The elevation to  Strategic Trade Authorization status (STA-1) will help speed up the sale of high-tech defence and non-defence products that are usually subjected to a high level of scrutiny and control.

By reducing the number of licenses needed to export US high-tech goods, India will now have easier access to the latest US defence technology. The move is seen as a push by the US to get India to sign its Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) agreement, which India has so far been reluctant to sign.

Under COMCASA, close military allies of the US allow America to install high-security communications equipment on all defence equipment. The US argues that such a move would facilitate greater interoperability. However, India has reservations about giving the US access to sensitive military communications.

The announcement, made by Ross at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum, comes just days after India finalised plans to import a US missile defence system to protect parts of New Delhi.

The US reserves its STA-1 status for only NATO, or key non-NATO allies, which are currently numbered at 36. Under the Modi government, India has been looking to pursue better defence deals with the US, with America declaring India as a "major defence partner", a designation that has so far not been accorded to any other nation.

S-400 Triumf air defence system transporter erector launcher
S-400 Triumf air defence system transporter erector launcher.Wikimedia Commons

Earlier this month, India came under fire from the US for agreeing to purchase the Russian  S-400 Triumf air defence systems, forcing the US State Department to consider imposing sanctions on India, since the deal was in violation of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).

Meant to derail Russian defence exports, CAATSA's extension to India would have severely crippled the relationship between the two nations, but  Defence Secretary Jim Mattis intervened and was able to ensure that no sanctions were imposed on India.