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NEW DELHI: India is fast inking reciprocal military logistics pacts with like-minded countries to extend its strategic and naval operational reach in the entire Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond, with an eye firmly on China’s expansionist behavior in the Indo-Pacific.
After similar agreements with the US, France, South Korea and Singapore, it was India’s turn to ink the mutual logistics support arrangement (MLSA) with Australia during the virtual summit between the two PMs on Thursday.
That’s not all. India is set to ink a military logistics pact with Japan next, while similar agreements with Russia and UK are also being negotiated, said sources. “The MLSA will enable our warships to get refueling from Australian tankers on the high seas, while also availing of berthing, maintenance and storage