U.S. Demonstrates India a Partner (not a Target) in Curbing Global Proliferation

Lisa Curtis / January 27, 2011

The U.S. on Monday officially removed export controls on several Indian space and defense-related organizations, signaling a new era in U.S.–India nonproliferation cooperation.

By removing several subsidiaries of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and the Indian Space Research Organization from the Department of Commerce’s so-called “Entities List” barring export of certain dual-use technologies, Washington followed through on a key pledge that President Barack Obama made during his historic visit to India last November.

The U.S. took the additional step of removing India from several other export control lists that had referred to India as a “country of concern” and instead placed it into a preferential category that consists mainly of members of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The upgrading of India into this special category may be seen as a step toward officially including India into the MTCR. (more…)