US Senate passes legislative provision to give India NATO ally-like status

 In a move that will further boost collaboration between the two countries in defence, the US Senate has passed a legislative provision that brings India at par with America’s NATO allies like South Korea, Australia and Japan. The National Defense Authorisation Act or NDAA for the fiscal year 2020 was passed by the US Senate last week. The Act provides for increased US-India defence cooperation in the Indian Ocean in the areas of humanitarian assistance, counterterrorism, counter-piracy and maritime security.