Overview
- The statute calls for expanded US engagement with India via the Quad, covering exercises, defense trade, humanitarian response and maritime security to compete with China.
- It directs the Defense and State secretaries to create a security initiative to integrate Indo-Pacific defense industrial bases with emphasis on capacity, workforce and supply-chain resilience.
- The departments must set a membership process for allies and partners, with Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the Philippines and New Zealand cited as candidates.
- A new consultative mechanism under the US–India Strategic Security Dialogue will assess the 2008 civil nuclear pact and explore aligning India’s liability rules with international norms.
- The Secretary of State must deliver an initial report within 180 days and annual updates for five years, and the law defines India as an “ally or partner nation” for specified purposes.