Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 21-24 (2023) visit to the US, a significant development happened in Washington DC. A powerful Congressional Committee advised the Joe Biden Administration on May 27 to include India in the NATO Plus bloc.

NATO Plus, currently NATO Plus 5, is basically a security arrangement between the US-led intergovernmental military alliance and five aligned nations: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and South Korea. The main aim of the bloc is to strengthen global defence cooperation. The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the US and the Communist Party of China (CPC), led by Chairperson Mike Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, believes that the NATO Plus membership of India would facilitate seamless intelligence sharing between the member countries. It will also help India access the latest military technology without much delay.

In a statement, the Select Committee mentioned: “Winning the strategic competition with the CPC and ensuring the security of Taiwan demands the US strengthen ties to our allies and security partners, including India. Including India in NATO Plus security arrangements would build upon the US and India’s close partnership to strengthen global security and deter the aggression of the CPC across the Indo-Pacific region.“

Indian-American Ramesh Kapoor, who has been working hard on this proposal for the last six years, is of the opinion that it is a significant development. He explained that the US would impose economic sanctions on China in case the Asian Giant launches an attack on Taiwan. Then, Washington DC would require the support of its effective key allies, like G-7, NATO, NATO Plus 5 and QUAD members. According to Kapoor, all the parties could negotiate a joint response and broadcast their message publicly. Such a move would certainly enhance deterrence.

Meanwhile, the Select Committee stressed: “Much like we do joint contingency planning for war fighting, we need to coordinate in peacetime with US allies. To that end, Congress should pass legislation similar to the STAND with Taiwan Act of 2023 that mandates the development of an economic sanctions package to be employed in the event of a PRC attack on Taiwan.“

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das