Indian Economy News

India-US defence and security ties stronger than ever before: Ambassador Sandhu

India-US defence trade, which has risen substantially over a short period of time, now stands at US$ 21 billion, India's ambassador said, suggesting bilateral military and security relations are stronger than ever.

Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's ambassador to the US said, “Designation of India as a 'Major Defence Partner' and enforcement by the US with Strategic Trade Authorization-1 Status and the signing of four fundamental agreements with Washington, military-to-military cooperation between the two countries will be strengthened.”

To promote mil-to-mil cooperation, India has signed a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), a Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), an Industrial Security Annex and a Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA).

Mr. Sandhu said, “Our relations to defence and security are stronger than ever. Our defence exercises have grown in both frequency, scale and coverage, in bilateral and plurilateral formats. Another major initiative has been the recently completed Exercise Malabar with the US, Japan and Australia. Over a short period of time, our defence trade has increased significantly, and today stands at over US$ 21 billion.”

He added, “Under the Defence Technology and Trade Program, initiated in the administration of the former president, the two countries worked together to co-produce and co-develop defence equipment.”

Mr. Sandhu said, “Our industries and innovators have worked together to establish trustworthy supply chains in next-gen defence technology and to pursue joint R&D, development, innovation and Exploring with emerging fields of partnership.”

He added, “We are engaging collaboratively to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is accessible, safe, and inclusive. We will keep working together and further enhance our Defence and Security Alliance, in line with our collective strategic interests.”

India already has a range of US military platforms and vehicles, and there are several more plans in the pipeline for new acquisitions.

 

The US defence and security partnership with India is a significant positive piece of the larger Indo-Pacific agenda of the Biden administration, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institute think-tank, and one that will involve steady expenditure and recalibration rather than major overhaul.

The Brookings report said, “The defence aspirations of the administration with India will only be realised if it works to restore a broad bilateral relationship that is not outrageously reliant on defence and security ties; is disciplined in setting and resourcing its Indo-Pacific priorities; is pragmatic about the constraints of India; and is willing to invest in high-level engagement at the leadership and cabinet levels.”

The report added, “In order to engage India on security risks, the US can do more to formulate its primary goals: first, to support India's emergence as a proactive global leader and counterweight to Chinese influence; second, to restrict China's ability to coerce India and other South Asian states; and third, to mitigate the risks of the eventual India-Pakistan and India-China crises and to de-escalate them.”

Mr. Benjamin Schwartz, former Director for India in the Office of the Secretary of Defence, said, “The significance of tangible defence cooperation with the US in managing the disruptions from Beijing is recognised by more and more Indian government officials. We may expect the US-Indian military relationship to continue expanding, from intelligence sharing to combined preparation to some form of joint operations.”

He further said, “Technology transfer, however, is not likely to be the field of greatest development, as India's military relationship with Russia is not likely to diminish or be walled off in a way that enables Indian defence systems to be closely integrated with those of the US military. The partnership will benefit from both parties concentrating on areas of common interest that do not involve sensitive military technologies.”

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.