Washington— The United States has formally elevated India’s role in its Indo-Pacific and nuclear policy frameworks, with the latest National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) directing deeper cooperation on civil nuclear issues and placing India among a select group of priority partners shaping a new defence-industrial network in the region.
The compromise version of the fiscal 2026 NDAA, released by Congressional leaders on Sunday, embeds India across multiple layers of U.S. strategic planning—from nuclear liability consultations to defence co-production and maritime security cooperation. The bill, which has been passed annually for six decades, is expected to advance in the House later this week.
A significant India-specific section mandates the creation of a joint consultative mechanism under the U.S.–India Strategic Security Dialogue. The group will hold regular meetings to review implementation of the 2008 civil nuclear agreement and examine ways for India to align its nuclear liability rules with international norms—long viewed as a key obstacle to U.S. reactor projects in India. The Secretary of State must report annually to Congress on progress for the next five years.
India is also listed as an “ally or partner nation” in the NDAA’s International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025, placing it alongside OECD countries for the purposes of global civil nuclear cooperation. The legislation directs the administration to craft a 10-year plan to grow U.S. nuclear exports and assess competition with Russia and China across the supply chain.
On the defence-industrial front, India joins Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and New Zealand in a new Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience. The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration among defence industries, deepen co-development and co-production efforts, and build more secure regional supply chains. Annual reporting requirements through 2031 underscore the long-term focus.
The NDAA also calls for expanded U.S. engagement with India through military exercises, defence trade, humanitarian assistance and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, describing these efforts as central to the shared goal of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
In a structural shift, the bill authorises a new Ambassador-at-Large for the Indian Ocean Region to coordinate U.S. diplomacy across littoral states and counter Chinese influence.
Together, the provisions signal that Washington views India not just as a regional partner, but as an essential contributor to the emerging Indo-Pacific security and industrial architecture—while also reviving long-stalled nuclear cooperation mechanisms. (Source: IANS)
