CURRENT AFFAIRS | 25 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + International Relations & Defence
Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has been inducted into the United States Army War College Hall of Fame at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania — becoming only the third Indian Army Chief to receive the honour after Gen V K Singh (2013) and Gen Bikram Singh (2014). The induction caps over a decade of deepening India-US defence ties built on the foundational agreements LEMOA, COMCASA and BECA, and the 2016 Major Defence Partner designation unique to India.
Constitutional / Legal Framework
- LEMOA (2016): Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement — reciprocal logistics support.
- COMCASA (2018): Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement — encrypted comms.
- BECA (2020): Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement — geospatial intelligence.
- Industrial Security Annex (2020): Defence-industrial info-sharing.
- Major Defence Partner status (2016): US designation unique to India.
- 123 Agreement (2008): India-US civil nuclear cooperation.
- Quad framework: India + US + Japan + Australia — Indo-Pacific cooperation.
- Joint Exercises: Yudh Abhyas, Vajra Prahar, Tarkash, Tiger Triumph.
Why This Matters for CLAT 2027
India-US defence ties is one of the densest factual clusters in CLAT GK — and this single news item lets you anchor LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA, the Quad, and the joint-exercise grid in one passage. Expect a comparison of the three foundational agreements, the year sequence (2016/2018/2020), and a trap on which exercise is with which service. Memorise the L-C-B chronology and the joint-exercise pairings.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Honouree | Gen Upendra Dwivedi (CoAS) |
| Honour | US Army War College Hall of Fame |
| Venue | Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania |
| Indian Predecessors | Gen V K Singh (2013), Gen Bikram Singh (2014) |
| LEMOA | 2016 — Logistics |
| COMCASA | 2018 — Comms/Encryption |
| BECA | 2020 — Geospatial |
| Major Defence Partner | 2016 |
| Joint Exercises | Yudh Abhyas (Army), Vajra Prahar (SF), Tarkash (NSG-FBI), Tiger Triumph (Tri-service) |
Mnemonic / Memory Hook
L-C-B = 16-18-20 — LEMOA 2016, COMCASA 2018, BECA 2020. Joint-ex chant: “Yudh-Vajra-Tarkash-Tiger”.
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