The agreement opens the doors to active foreign military presence in the neighbouring country, dragging it deeper into China's orbit

In what augurs well for India's security capabilities, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has reportedly approved Phase III of the Space-Based Surveillance (SBS) mission.

The recent Cabinet clearance to purchase 31 weaponized Predator drones from U.S.-based General Atomics is expected to bolster the surveillance capacity of the SBS-III mission further.

The Modi government's move is likely to give sleepless nights to adversaries such as China and Pakistan, as the two neighbours among others will be under continuous monitoring once the capabilities are fully operational.