As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Washington, U.S. Senate’s India Caucus Co-Chairs, Mark Warner (Democrat, Virginia) and John Cornyn (Republican, Texas) have introduced a legislation to give India ‘NATO plus five’ defense status. This arrangement currently exists between the U.S, its NATO partners and five countries: Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel. The proposal had been suggested by a U.S. House of Representatives committee on China, however, India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar had already rejected the framework for India.

On Tuesday, Mr. Warner told reporters that they proposed “adding India to the so-called ‘NATO plus five’ arrangement, where the United States is able to transfer with as little bureaucratic interference as possible defense equipment in a very strong way”. He further said that one of the most effective ways to improve India’s defense capabilities is to increase defense trade between the U.S. and India. In response to India's human rights record, Mr. Warner said he hoped that Prime Minister Modi will reaffirm his commitment to democracy.

He further stated that India and the U.S. both need to make sure they are totally committed to democracy and human rights, freedom of belief and freedom of expression. Mr. Warner stated that he looked forward to welcoming Mr. Modi to Washington and wanted to move the India-U.S. relationship beyond common descriptions applied to it to a “full-fledged partnership”. He hopes that the visit will help strengthen the bond between the two countries and give a boost to their defense capabilities.