U.S.-India Counterterrorism Cooperation: Redefining Convergence Amid Challenges

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Intelligence Sharing and Cooperation
3. Pillars of the U.S.-India Partnership
4. Joint Military Exercises and Operations
5. Current Challenges
6. Strategic Divergences
7. Conclusion

Document Overview

Since the post-9/11 era and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, counter-terrorism cooperation has become a core pillar of U.S.-India bilateral relations. Through diplomatic and strategic adjustments, the two countries have continuously strengthened collaboration in this critical area. While factors such as economic growth, balancing China, and support for democratic governance provide strategic underpinnings for the bilateral relationship, counter-terrorism cooperation remains the key link sustaining the resilience of the U.S.-India alliance, with new breakthroughs achieved in multiple practical collaborations in 2024.

The report systematically outlines the two core pillars of U.S.-India counter-terrorism cooperation: intelligence sharing and joint military exercises. In the intelligence domain, a series of bilateral agreements, including the 2020 Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation and the 2015 General Security of Military Information Agreement, have established a multi-dimensional intelligence collaboration framework covering geospatial intelligence, military communication security, and defense technology. Discussions during the March 2024 security dialogue on Khalistan-related groups and the extradition of Mumbai attack suspects further highlighted the practical value of intelligence cooperation.

Regarding joint military exercises, the series of exercises since 2015, such as Yudh Abhyas, Malabar, Red Flag, Vajra Prahar, and the newly added Milan-24 and Sea Defender exercises in 2024, have effectively enhanced interoperability between the two militaries, solidified strategic trust, and become significant diplomatic symbols showcasing the depth of bilateral cooperation. Focusing on core issues of maritime security and counter-terrorism, these exercises inject momentum into regional security capacity building.

However, U.S.-India counter-terrorism cooperation still faces multiple structural challenges. As a global hegemon, the United States pursues normative revisionism and tends to favor unilateral military means, whereas India, based on its regional power status and geopolitical realities, prefers multilateral diplomatic strategies. On regional issues concerning Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, policy divergences arise due to differing security priorities. The United States' transactional diplomacy contrasts sharply with India's cautious stance, and differing attitudes on the Gaza issue further highlight the divergence in strategic approaches.

The report proposes that enhancing the quality and effectiveness of U.S.-India counter-terrorism cooperation requires a focus on institutional development: building on the existing counter-terrorism consensus within the Indo-Pacific strategic framework, strengthening inter-agency linkages, optimizing India's counter-terrorism intelligence architecture by drawing lessons from the U.S. model, deepening coordination through multilateral platforms like the Quad Counter-Terrorism Working Group, and properly managing points of divergence such as data localization. Only by grounding efforts in mutual geopolitical perspectives and constructing an inclusive cooperation framework based on respect for differences can the U.S.-India counter-terrorism partnership overcome the constraints of regional complexity and achieve more resilient and effective development.