05-19-2016, 09:52 PM
India US Defence cooperation
The recent visit of the US Defence Secretary Mr. Aston Carter to India, his third in the last one year reflects the increased interaction between India and the United States on Defence related issues. In the last one decade there has been a gradual increase in interaction between the defence forces of the two countries in the form of joint military exercise involving all the three Services of both the countries
It now seems that we have come a long way since the days of US opposition to provide any military assistance to India. Except for a brief period immediately after the Sino Indian conflict of 1962, U S has not shown any interest in strengthening Indiaââ¬â¢s defence capabilities. On the contrary, it had always sided with Pakistan and has provided massive military aid to that country since the early 1950s. Pakistan made good use of these equipment against India during both the 1965 and 1971 wars. At that time, with the Cold war doctrine still very much alive, the U S policy makers felt that Pakistan is much more useful and important to it as an allied nation rather than non aligned India.
It may be recalled that in the early 1960s India wanted to purchase the BAC Lightning interceptor aircraft from UK. The deal was stalled by the United States as it refused the sale of US made GE engines fitted in the aircraft. India was compelled to go the USSR and procured the MIG 21, as an alternative. Gradually, India drifted from the West and started depending upon USSR for procurement of modern defence equipment. The main reason for this was the reluctance of the Western Powers particularly USA to provide modern equipment to India.
However, we should acknowledge with gratitude that in 1962 when the Sino Indian conflict broke out, both UK and USA rushed in military aid by airlifting modern arms and ammunitions .The US stationed C-130 aircrafts in India for two years and these were used to airlift heavy equipment to our northern borders. This friendly gesture soon evaporated and when India proposed the purchase of C-130 aircrafts, it was refused by the United States as that would have perhaps upset their friends in Pakistan.Instead, India was provided about 48 C-119 packet aircrafts discarded by the US Air Force.
In the post cold war period, there has been a gradual shift in U S policy on India. This shift has not only been due to the change in the world geo political situation, but also due to the enormous growth of Indiaââ¬â¢s economy.Today no nation can overlook the vast business opportunity that India provides and all developed nations are today ready to interact with India and sell both their technology and equipment to India.
For the United States, apart from the growing importance of the Indian market another major factor has been the rise and assertiveness of China in the post cold war period. China has in the recent past considerably expanded its naval presence both in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The United States now feels that it needs increased security ties with India, so that the growing Chinese influence in the region of South Asia and the Indian Ocean can be kept on check. Keeping this in mind the US policy makers in the last one decade has started to gradually increase its interaction with India. At the same time, it is trying to maintain a delicate balance in its relation with old time friend Pakistan.
In the last one decade, apart from encouraging participation of India in many joint exercises, the United States has supplied India with a number of modern defence equipment systems. These include the sale of C-17 Galaxy heavy transport aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules aircrafts for conducting special operations, light artillery guns and weapon ranging radars besides the P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy. Each of these systems is state of art equipment having cutting edge technology. According to media reports, helicopter gunships and heavy lift helicopters from the United States are soon to join our fleets.
Today the United States is so eager to forge and strengthen its defence ties with India that it is making repeated attempts with offers of setting up factory in India for the manufacture of F-16 aircrafts as well as F-18 aircrafts in India. Initially, India was reluctant to get involved in any such deals as it always felt that the US in times of need may fail to back up as it has been an unreliable partner in the past particularly in defence matters.
India still remembers that despite U S assurance that arms aid given by it to Pakistan will not be used against India; there was violation of the same by Pakistan during the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict. In 1971, during the Bangladesh liberation war the attitude of the than U S Government was downright hostile towards India.
So India had serious doubt as to the reliability of the United States as a supplier of defence equipment to India particularly its likely reaction at the time of any real threat on Indiaââ¬â¢s security particularly from Pakistan. Therefore, the Indian approach has been a very cautious one. The signing of the Civil Nuclear deal and the gradual increase in interaction between USA and India on strategic issues and intelligence sharing has slowly given some proof of the reliability of the United States as a reliable source of supplier of defence equipment.
The United States has been making repeated attempts to enter into a number of defence related agreements with India, but so far they have not made any major headway. The US has been insisting that India should sign the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), as it feels these are essential to further enhance the bilateral defence and strategic relationship between the two countries.
After the recent visit of the US Defence Secretary it has been announced that some headway has been made towards signing the Logistic Support Agreement (LSA). In fact, this agreement is only expected to facilitate the various facilities that are already being extended by the two countries to each other for providing logistic support to the defence services in terms of refueling of aircrafts and Naval ships and providing supplies etc, which presently is being done on a case to case basis. India has so far not shown any interest to sign the other two agreements, as they may have serious implications for India in the future.
This has not prevented the two countries from intensifying the interaction between them in defence related matters, particularly in the procurement of modern helicopter gunships and other such equipment. The latest policy of the Government of India in allowing Private Sector participation in the manufacturing of defence equipment is likely to provide opportunities to US defence equipment manufacturers to collaborate with Indian companies and start new joint ventures. Already offers for the manufacture of F-16 and F-18 aircrafts in India have been made by the respective US companies. Many more such offers are expected in the near future as India goes ahead with its defence equipment modernization program.
The United States has been trying to rope in India in its effort to contain the growing influence of China in the South Asian region, particularly in matters relating to the South China Sea. So far India has resisted US attempts to influence its policy towards China and in the future it is expected that India will continue to engage China bilaterally as per its own understanding and own terms.
The recent visit of the US Defence Secretary Mr. Aston Carter to India, his third in the last one year reflects the increased interaction between India and the United States on Defence related issues. In the last one decade there has been a gradual increase in interaction between the defence forces of the two countries in the form of joint military exercise involving all the three Services of both the countries
It now seems that we have come a long way since the days of US opposition to provide any military assistance to India. Except for a brief period immediately after the Sino Indian conflict of 1962, U S has not shown any interest in strengthening Indiaââ¬â¢s defence capabilities. On the contrary, it had always sided with Pakistan and has provided massive military aid to that country since the early 1950s. Pakistan made good use of these equipment against India during both the 1965 and 1971 wars. At that time, with the Cold war doctrine still very much alive, the U S policy makers felt that Pakistan is much more useful and important to it as an allied nation rather than non aligned India.
It may be recalled that in the early 1960s India wanted to purchase the BAC Lightning interceptor aircraft from UK. The deal was stalled by the United States as it refused the sale of US made GE engines fitted in the aircraft. India was compelled to go the USSR and procured the MIG 21, as an alternative. Gradually, India drifted from the West and started depending upon USSR for procurement of modern defence equipment. The main reason for this was the reluctance of the Western Powers particularly USA to provide modern equipment to India.
However, we should acknowledge with gratitude that in 1962 when the Sino Indian conflict broke out, both UK and USA rushed in military aid by airlifting modern arms and ammunitions .The US stationed C-130 aircrafts in India for two years and these were used to airlift heavy equipment to our northern borders. This friendly gesture soon evaporated and when India proposed the purchase of C-130 aircrafts, it was refused by the United States as that would have perhaps upset their friends in Pakistan.Instead, India was provided about 48 C-119 packet aircrafts discarded by the US Air Force.
In the post cold war period, there has been a gradual shift in U S policy on India. This shift has not only been due to the change in the world geo political situation, but also due to the enormous growth of Indiaââ¬â¢s economy.Today no nation can overlook the vast business opportunity that India provides and all developed nations are today ready to interact with India and sell both their technology and equipment to India.
For the United States, apart from the growing importance of the Indian market another major factor has been the rise and assertiveness of China in the post cold war period. China has in the recent past considerably expanded its naval presence both in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The United States now feels that it needs increased security ties with India, so that the growing Chinese influence in the region of South Asia and the Indian Ocean can be kept on check. Keeping this in mind the US policy makers in the last one decade has started to gradually increase its interaction with India. At the same time, it is trying to maintain a delicate balance in its relation with old time friend Pakistan.
In the last one decade, apart from encouraging participation of India in many joint exercises, the United States has supplied India with a number of modern defence equipment systems. These include the sale of C-17 Galaxy heavy transport aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules aircrafts for conducting special operations, light artillery guns and weapon ranging radars besides the P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft for the Indian Navy. Each of these systems is state of art equipment having cutting edge technology. According to media reports, helicopter gunships and heavy lift helicopters from the United States are soon to join our fleets.
Today the United States is so eager to forge and strengthen its defence ties with India that it is making repeated attempts with offers of setting up factory in India for the manufacture of F-16 aircrafts as well as F-18 aircrafts in India. Initially, India was reluctant to get involved in any such deals as it always felt that the US in times of need may fail to back up as it has been an unreliable partner in the past particularly in defence matters.
India still remembers that despite U S assurance that arms aid given by it to Pakistan will not be used against India; there was violation of the same by Pakistan during the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict. In 1971, during the Bangladesh liberation war the attitude of the than U S Government was downright hostile towards India.
So India had serious doubt as to the reliability of the United States as a supplier of defence equipment to India particularly its likely reaction at the time of any real threat on Indiaââ¬â¢s security particularly from Pakistan. Therefore, the Indian approach has been a very cautious one. The signing of the Civil Nuclear deal and the gradual increase in interaction between USA and India on strategic issues and intelligence sharing has slowly given some proof of the reliability of the United States as a reliable source of supplier of defence equipment.
The United States has been making repeated attempts to enter into a number of defence related agreements with India, but so far they have not made any major headway. The US has been insisting that India should sign the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), as it feels these are essential to further enhance the bilateral defence and strategic relationship between the two countries.
After the recent visit of the US Defence Secretary it has been announced that some headway has been made towards signing the Logistic Support Agreement (LSA). In fact, this agreement is only expected to facilitate the various facilities that are already being extended by the two countries to each other for providing logistic support to the defence services in terms of refueling of aircrafts and Naval ships and providing supplies etc, which presently is being done on a case to case basis. India has so far not shown any interest to sign the other two agreements, as they may have serious implications for India in the future.
This has not prevented the two countries from intensifying the interaction between them in defence related matters, particularly in the procurement of modern helicopter gunships and other such equipment. The latest policy of the Government of India in allowing Private Sector participation in the manufacturing of defence equipment is likely to provide opportunities to US defence equipment manufacturers to collaborate with Indian companies and start new joint ventures. Already offers for the manufacture of F-16 and F-18 aircrafts in India have been made by the respective US companies. Many more such offers are expected in the near future as India goes ahead with its defence equipment modernization program.
The United States has been trying to rope in India in its effort to contain the growing influence of China in the South Asian region, particularly in matters relating to the South China Sea. So far India has resisted US attempts to influence its policy towards China and in the future it is expected that India will continue to engage China bilaterally as per its own understanding and own terms.