What is the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)?
It is one of few basic deals that the United States signs with close partners. BECA enables sharing geospatial information, including nautical and aeronautical charts. The complete data, backed by highly accurate US satellites, helps in navigation as well as targeting military assets.
Under BECA, the two countries can exchange maps, nautical and aeronautical charts, commercial and other unclassified imagery, geodetic, geophysical, geomagnetic and gravity data.
Apart from the standard data, the agreement includes sharing of classified information as well, with safeguards in place to ensure that it is not shared with any third party.
BECA is an important precursor to India acquiring armed unmanned aerial vehicles such as the Predator-B from the USA. Predator-B uses spatial data for accurate strikes on enemy targets.
BECA is one of the four foundational military communication agreements between the two countries. The other three being GSOMIA, LEMOA, CISMOA.
