---
title: "LEMOA: India-US Logistics Pact Explained | Model Diplomat"
description: "LEMOA is the 2016 India-US logistics agreement enabling mutual access to military bases for refuelling and supplies. See how it differs from a basing pact."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/lemoa-logistics-exchange-memorandum"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- LEMOA is a 2016 bilateral agreement allowing India and the United States to use each other's military facilities for refuelling, replenishment, and logistics support on a reimbursable basis.
- Does LEMOA allow the United States to set up military bases in India?
- How does LEMOA differ from COMCASA and BECA?
- Why did LEMOA take over a decade to negotiate?
- Is LEMOA a mutual defence treaty?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Research LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) like a delegate

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## Positions at a glance

### Supporters

The Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is a bilateral defence accord signed by India and the United States on 29 August 2016 in Washington, D.C., by Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. It is the first of three so-called "foundational agreements" that Washington concludes with close defence partners to enable interoperability. LEMOA is an India-specific version of the U.S. Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), modified after more than a decade of negotiation to address Indian sensitivities about strategic autonomy and the perception that signing would make India a treaty ally or host basing rights. The agreement was negotiated under the broader framework of the 2005 New Framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship and its 2015 renewal, and it operationalises India's status as a Major Defense Partner, a designation the United States conferred in 2016 and codified in the National Defense Authorization Act.

### Opponents

Controversy at the time of signing centred on domestic Indian fears that the agreement would erode non-alignment and entangle India in U.S. operations against China or in West Asia. Opposition figures and commentators argued it amounted to creeping alliance; the government countered that reciprocal logistics access cuts both ways and that India retains a veto over every request. Subsequent developments largely vindicated the operational case: LEMOA proved valuable during HADR missions and during the heightened Indian Ocean deployments after the 2017 Doklam standoff and the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with China, when interoperability assumed strategic urgency. Debate persists over how far reimbursable access can deepen without crossing into the basing relationships New Delhi continues to reject.

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Example

In August 2016, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter signed LEMOA in Washington, enabling Indian and American forces to refuel and resupply at each other's bases on a reimbursable basis.

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