US Offers To Match India's Ally Russia

[Zebra]

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
By : Defence News

The US on July 23 virtually offered to match India's 50-year-old ally Russia in matters of multi-billion dollar defence deals. It has offered India sophisticated high-end technology, latest equipments and even a promise to change its stringent technology-transfer rules to accommodate New Delhi's growing ambitions.

The corner stone of US-India relationship is India's surging defence equipment demand that will induce a spending of around $80 billion over the next 6-7 years.

Deputy Secretary of Defense, USA, Ashton B Carter said while addressing Indian audience comprising strategic thinkers and industry representatives, "We want to knock down any remaining bureaucratic barriers in our defence relationship, and strip away the impediments. We want to set big goals to achieve,".

He added, "India deserves the best military equipment available and we are prepared to help. Practically, we want to be India's highest-quality and most-trusted long-term supplier of technology," without naming Russia, which is dominant in military equipment sales to India. Over the past few years, Russia has leased a nuclear-powered submarine to India, sold an aircraft carrier, co-developed a supersonic missile and is now co-developing a 5th generation stealth fighter jet and a transport aircraft.

The US is looking at cooperation and not just trade with India. It is not a buyer-seller relationship that the US is pushing for. India is top priority in US arms export considerations and the US is bending rules to respond more rapidly to India's requests for sophisticated equipment and systems & more advanced technologies. "We are improving our government's overall export-control system", India can make some changes too by raising its FDI ceiling from the present 26% to 49%.

India and the US have a lot in common but they also differ in many issues. They may not see eye-to-eye on many fronts but both countries have long-term interests in each other, if not always common approaches. Carter went on to suggest "A joint vision for the US-India defence cooperation".

Defence News - US Offers To Match India's Ally Russia

 

[Yusuf]

Looks like some serious brainstorming is going on in the US wrt to India.

I dont know if we have a collection of brains to brainstorm in India about our relations with the US at least in any officially appointed capacity. We guys over here do it.

India has to take up this opportunity for its own good. The US is offering high end technology and India should grasp it with both hands. India has to seriously think about taking the strategic ties to the next level. Russia has become unreliable. Hiking prices phenomenally as we heard recently about the price of ammo for the T90s and Russia is open to selling tech to China which will filter down to Pakistan.

We need the leftist mind in MoD to change or go.

Its clearly time for some serious effort to establish very strong relations with the US and lose the old baggage permanently.

 

[The Messiah]

I dont know if we have a collection of brains to brainstorm in India about our relations with the US at least in any officially appointed capacity.

Don't worry me, trackwhack and civ will be doing the brainstorming when it comes to "partnership" with usa.

 

[Yusuf]

Don't worry me, trackwhack and civ will be doing the brainstorming when it comes to "partnership" with usa.

I already said "we" as in DFI members do that.

Last i heard, India has just 3 members in MEA working on the US desk. US has more than a dozen working on India. Shows how much and what they think about India.

 

[The Messiah]

We must never fall into this trap that is being laid out for us. Once we leave russia and go towards the yanks then we would have lost future russian trust and this would give the yanks a good leverage over us and we will get shafted badly unless we sign those rediculous treaties that give all conrtol to the yanks over there military hardware.

The future is indeginization and co-operation with russia in high tech until we become self sufficient in that too.

 

[The Messiah]

I already said "we" as in DFI members do that.

Last i heard, India has just 3 members in MEA working on the US desk. US has more than a dozen working on India. Shows how much and what they think about India.

Yes i know that.

What makes you think we are not those 3 members in MEA ?

 

[civfanatic]

The future is indeginization and co-operation with russia in high tech until we become self sufficient in that too.

I feel we are doing the opposite, though? We have indigenous nukes and satellites but we are not self-sufficient in basic equipment like guns, artillery, and tanks and have to rely on imports for these. We can easily buy basic military equipment on the world market but not high-end stuff.

 

[The Messiah]

I feel we are doing the opposite, though? We have indigenous nukes and satellites but we are not self-sufficient in basic equipment like guns, artillery, and tanks and have to rely on imports for these. We can easily buy basic military equipment on the world market but not high-end stuff.

We have always been better in the missiles dept when compared to others. I meant nuclear submarines, 5th generation fighter etc when i said co-operation with russia in high tech. I think we should concentrate on making progress in making good fighters and bombers on our own, even if it is 4th generation it would give us good experiance to take the next step. Air superiority is everything in a modern conventional war specially when the war is defensive in nature.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

A much appreciated talk, but it is important the talk is put to good use.

UPA has something like 22 months left before the the current LS' tenure expires, and there is much left to be done, Indo-US relations being one.

That said, we needn't be completely into the games the US has planned for the region, but definitely use that as an opportunity to extend our reach to areas where otherwise we might find it hard making our military presence felt.

We need the leftist mind in MoD to change or go.

Indeed, the cabinet reshuffle is round the corner. High time we moved on now.

 

[Yusuf]

We must never fall into this trap that is being laid out for us. Once we leave russia and go towards the yanks then we would have lost future russian trust and this would give the yanks a good leverage over us and we will get shafted badly unless we sign those rediculous treaties that give all conrtol to the yanks over there military hardware.

The future is indeginization and co-operation with russia in high tech until we become self sufficient in that too.

Russian trust? They have been breaking our trust. Going to Pak, selling to China. hiked prices all of a sudden. Please come out of the old mindset.

India is not dumping Russia for the US but embracing the US a lot more than it has ever in the past and secure high end technology and strategic partnership that will only help India.

The US knows fully well that it will not get a poodle in India and they are willing to live with it. Its up to India to rethink its US strategy and see how best we can partner them without relinquishing our strategic autonomy.

 

[pmaitra]

I dont know if we have a collection of brains to brainstorm in India about our relations with the US at least in any officially appointed capacity.

Don't worry me, trackwhack and civ will be doing the brainstorming when it comes to "partnership" with usa.

 

[pmaitra]

Russian trust? They have been breaking our trust.

No Yusuf, Russians are doing only one thing, and it is called business. It is a capitalist country today, remember?

Let me ask you, should we stop cooperating with the US because they stopped the transfer of Cryogenic Engine to India? Now let me ask, should we stop cooperation with Russia just because they are willing to sell weapons to Pakistan? Let them do business - eventually, India will have to build stuff at home.

 

[Yusuf]

No Yusuf, Russians are doing only one thing, and it is called business. It is a capitalist country today, remember?

Let me ask you, should we stop cooperating with the US because they stopped the transfer of Cryogenic Engine to India? Now let me ask, should we stop cooperation with Russia just because they are willing to sell weapons to Pakistan? Let them do business - eventually, India will have to build stuff at home.

Arming our enemies is breaking out trust. Yes it's pure business but because of that we have to develop alliances that helps our security. I for one would want an Asian NATO.

 

[sayareakd]

Uncle how about leasing a nuke submarine ??? with same terms and conditions as Russians did.

 

[Yusuf]

Uncle how about leasing a nuke submarine ??? with same terms and conditions as Russians did.

If their is a strong relationship then why not. The US gave the Trident SLBM. It can only come with time not immediately.

Anyways, we are talking about taking the relationship to the next level and transfer of high tech. I am sure india will benefit in its own home grown sub production in the future.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

US can never be flexible as Russian or French in defense deals ..

That is one reason why Russian arms are so widely spread all over the world..

 

[praneetbajpaie]

If anyone thinks that America can be our best friend, well then they are naive. They can backstab really quickly. Just ask Pakistan.

 

[Yusuf]

For the nth+millionth time, don't compare india with Pakistan. Contempt of it.

 

[sukhish]

slowly but surely, we are moving in the right direction with the U.S. in the comming time India will get more and more military hardware from the U.S

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Deputy Secretary of Defense, USA, Ashton B Carter said while addressing Indian audience comprising strategic thinkers and industry representatives, "We want to knock down any remaining bureaucratic barriers in our defence relationship, and strip away the impediments. We want to set big goals to achieve,".

Is this a sales pitch or a statement of US policy? If the latter, it might have more credibility coming from the US Secretary of State.