Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation (BECA)

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About Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-Spatial cooperation (BECA)

• BECA for geo-spatial cooperation is essentially a communication agreement proposed between the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US Department of Defence and the Ministry of Defence of Government of India.
• Signing of BECA will allow India and the US to share military information including advanced satellite and topographic data such as maps, nautical and aeronautical charts and geodetic, geophysical, geomagnetic and gravity data. 
• Most of the information that will be shared will be that of the unclassified category but there is a provision of sharing classified information as well with proper safeguards in place to ensure that the information is not shared with any third party.

Advantages to India

• Signing of will allow US armed forces to provide advanced navigational aids and avionics on US-supplied aircraft to India.
• Sharing geospatial intelligence with the US through BECA will boost the Indian military’s accuracy of automated hardware systems and weapons like cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones

BECA will also help India and the US counter the growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region thereby strengthening the Quad.