US and India sign deal for using each other’s bases

In a step towards a defense pact, the US and India have signed an agreement to allow the use of each other’s land, air and naval bases – initially for repair and re-supply. The agreement will “make the logistics of joint operations so much easier and so much more efficient,” US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a news briefing with Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday.

The two ministers also discussed joint naval patrols that a US defense official said could include the South China Sea which is in dispute with Beijing.