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US-India defense cooperation continues to overcome obstacles

India Report by John E. Carbaugh, Jr.
June 2, 2003

While U.S.-India defense cooperation is one of the most positive areas of the deepening bilateral relationship, there are still barriers that need to be overcome to push this effort further forward.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill recently identified the expanding defense cooperation as one the greatest successes of the evolving U.S.-India relationship during his tenure in New Delhi. "Defense cooperation is a vibrant, visible and expanding aspect of the transformed U.S.-India relationship," he stressed.

However, despite such glee, there are obstacles to further strengthening defense ties, ranging from India’s complaints that too many U.S. restrictions remain in place to prevent sales of advanced equipment, to Washington’s mutterings over the difficulty in working with their Indian counterparts in the defense field -- problems highlighted in a recent Pentagon report.

Nevertheless, despite some problems, the U.S. and India have developed a "vibrant, visible and expanding" military relationship through joint exercises and military sales, Blackwill noted.

JOINT EXERCISES

The two countries have conducted numerous joint military exercises in the last couple of years. These have included Indian paratroopers working with their U.S. counterparts in Alaska, joint military airlift operations in India, and American and Indian military personnel taking part in the Shanti Path 03 peacekeeping exercises in India.

Perhaps the most promising area of military cooperation has been in the naval sector, with the Indian and U.S. navies conducting a number of exercises that included anti-submarine training, and combating piracy. Indian naval ships also mounted escort patrols for U.S. ships through the Malacca Straits in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. American warships now routinely refuel in Chennai and Mumbai.

The latest military exercise involved U.S. and Indian Special Forces training in dense jungles and learning to flush terrorists out of their hiding places.

The U.S. Navy’s elite SEALS and the Indian Navy’s Marine Commando Force are also planning an upcoming joint exercise to test their unconventional and clandestine warfare skills.

The first-ever air combat exercises between the best U.S. and Indian fighter squadrons are planned for early 2004.

Overall, the U.S. military would benefit from more training with Indians, particularly if the training could occur on Indian territory, according to a recent Pentagon report, Indo-U.S. Military Relationship: Expectations and Perceptions, which was based on interviews with scores of senior American and Indian officials, including military personnel.

"India has a variety of landscapes, from ice-clad mountains to deserts, and it would help the Americans because military training ranges shrinking and becoming increasingly controversial in the United States," the report says. "And for the U.S. Navy training with Indian navy is the best way to become proficient in the Indian Ocean region."

DEFENSE SALES INCREASE

Military sales have also taken off. Blackwill noted that India has achieved the same status as other major allies, like Japan and South Korea, concerning military sales. Congressional review is now only required for items costing more than $14 million.

"While joint training, visits, and exchanges have become familiar evidence of how U.S.-India relations have changed significantly ... the way both countries now view defense sales presages greater bilateral cooperation in the future," Blackwill said. "Taken together, our defense cooperation and military sales activities intensify the working relationship between the respective armed forces, build mutual military capacities for future joint operations and strengthen Indian military capability, which is in America’s national interest."

More broadly, the U.S. is looking to incorporate the deeper military ties into the broader security alliance with India. There is even some talk of the U.S. and India anchoring an "Asian NATO" made up of Asian-Pacific democracies.

BLACKWILL SAYS MORE CAN BE DONE

Despite this progress, the two countries still have plenty of room to deepen their defense relationship further. Blackwill suggested an increase in the scale, diversity, and complexity of military exercises; boosting cooperation on missile defense; asking India to service the rest, repair, and replenishment needs of various American military units operating around the South Asian landmass; and cooperating on joint counter-proliferation operations and peacekeeping operations.

Blackwill also urged U.S.-India defense trade to increase, particularly through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, "in order to bolster bilateral defense ties and boost inter-operability between U.S. forces and those of India."

OBSTACLES TO BOOSTING DEFENSE TIES

However, there are still a number of obstacles in the way of boosting the U.S.-India defense relationship.

India continues to claim that the U.S. remains skittish over selling its more advanced weapons -- a complaint that was apparent in the Pentagon report.

"The necessity of the U.S. adopting a more liberal, less restrictive technology transfer regimen toward India -- and for the United States not to impede the transfer to India of critical military equipment and militarily-relevant technologies from third parties, Israel for example -- emerged from the interviews with Indians in virtually every context," said the Pentagon report.

INDIA WANTS MORE ADVANCED EQUIPMENT

India considers technology transfer an "important component" for a robust military relationship with the U.S., according to the Pentagon report. Technology transfer is the "touchstone" of the new-found strategic relationship and "everything revolves around a strong U.S. commitment to share its technologies so that India can advance," according to Indians interviewed.

India is upset that it is still denied some high-technology and dual-use products, despite the lifting of most of the sanctions imposed after the 1998 nuclear tests.

"America’s reluctance to engage in focused technology transfer is a deal killer in the effort to construct an enduring strategic relationship," according to an Indian official interviewed in the Pentagon report.

A senior Indian policymaker added: "If the United States is willing to share dual-use technologies, then it suggests that the United States regards India as a partner that shares strategic concerns and burdens. If the United States denies access to dual-use technology, then it gives the impression that India is not accepted or trusted."

However, some U.S. officials are suspicious that India’s sole interest in the security relationship with the U.S. is to gain access to American technology.

BREAKTHROUGH IN TECH-TRANS SAGA

Nevertheless, observers point to a sign of a possible breakthrough in differences over this issue.

The Bush Administration recently gave the go-ahead for Israel to sell India Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems aircraft, an advanced technology the U.S. stopped Israel from selling last year because of rising tension between India and Pakistan.

This shift could also mean that India will soon get the go-ahead to buy the Arrow-2 anti-missile system from Israel, which was jointly developed by Israel and the U.S.

U.S. SHOWS MORE FLEXIBILITY

Sources say that the U.S. is more willing to be flexible on the tech-transfer issue because joint exercises -- and other cooperation that involves some degree of interoperability -- have exposed some of the Indian military equipment as poor quality and outdated.

"Indian air power and C2 (Command and Control) are so limited that the Indian Air Force was surprised by capabilities that the U.S. military takes for granted, such as airlift capacity," according to the Pentagon report.

The report went on: "The Indians are unhappy with the quality of the Russian equipment and have experienced problems in their deal with Israel and France. The United States is the preferred alternative."

Thus, U.S. officials have concluded that if the U.S. and India are going to have a meaningful strategic partnership, India’s equipment has to be on par with the U.S.’s. The American decision-makers "believe that the military relationship should result in shared technology and capabilities, and ultimately they would like to be able to respond jointly to regional crises," according to the Pentagon report.

MUTUAL SUSPICIONS REMAIN

If there is some sign of progress on the issue of allowing India access to high-tech weaponry, other obstacles to boosting defense ties are still evident.

Problematic perceptions and suspicions of each other -- whether real or imaged -- continue to slow defense cooperation. Years of mistrust on both sides cannot be washed away over night, one Washington policy insider said.

India wants the relationship to be "an adult-to-adult" one and not a patronizing one, according to the Pentagon report. Indian policymakers complained that the U.S. did consult them enough before or during Operation Enduring Freedom "in India’s backyard."

Furthermore, officials in India "have expressed the fear that Washington is ignoring them or treating them as less than equal, and all the more so in the wake of the Iraq war," one U.S. source said. One to the Pentagon report. Indian bureaucrats, Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals could be "easily slighted or insulted," are "difficult to work with," harbor "deep-seated distrust" of Americans, "cannot think strategically," are mostly "obsessed" with history instead of being forward looking, and "see the world through their perennial distrust of Pakistan," according to some of interviewees in the Pentagon report.

"American military officers and policymakers in Washington hold high expectations that their interactions with the Indian military experts will produce a fruitful two-way strategic dialogue, but they argue that this has not yet happened," the report said.

NEEDS AND DESIRES TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS

However, the stronger desires on both sides to see a deeper relationship should be able to overcome obstacles in the way of this goal.

There is increasing evidence that the U.S. would ideally like to establish access to military bases in India. "American military officers are candid in their plans to eventually seek access to Indian bases and military infrastructure. India’s strategic location in the centre of Asia, astride the frequently traveled Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) linking the Middle East and East Asia, makes India particularly attractive to the U.S. military," the Pentagon report noted.

U.S. EXAMINING FUTURE BASE OPTIONS

An American Colonel added: "The U.S. Navy wants a relatively neutral territory on the opposite side of the world that can provide ports and support for operations in the Middle East. India not only has a good infrastructure, the Indian Navy has proved that it can fix and fuel U.S. ships. Over time, port visits must become a natural event. India is a viable player in supporting all naval missions, including escorting and responding to regional crises. In the same vein, the U.S. Air Force would like the Indians to be able to grant them access to bases and landing rights during operations, such as counter-terrorism and heavy airlift support."

Currently the Pentagon is undertaking a major review of the future of U.S. bases in Asia in order to have more flexibility in responding to regional crises and to deal with terrorism.

"For many, India is the most attractive alternative. For this reasons, several Americans underscored that eventual access to Indian military infrastructure represents a critical ‘strategic hedge’ against dramatic changes in traditional U.S. relationships in Asia," the Pentagon report said.

CONCERNS OVER CHINA BOOST TIES

Although the Pentagon is rethinking its strategies to deal with modern threats such as terrorism, U.S. officials are still concerned over the more traditional geo-political problems in the region, notably a rising China.

Indeed, shared concern over China is viewed as an essential ingredient in the growth of deeper ties between Washington and New Delhi. This Pentagon report actually concludes that the U.S. and India should forge a long-term security alliance partly aimed at containing China.

"China represents the most significant threat to both countries’ security in the future as an economic and military competitor," said the Pentagon report. U.S. and Indian views of China are "strikingly similar," it added.

The last decade has seen growing concerns in U.S. policy circles over the threat from China, fueled by China’s rapid military modernization. Similarly, China’s military improvement and its more expansive diplomatic outlook have increased concerns over the danger to India from "encirclement."

U.S. foreign policy players -- both inside and outside the Bush Administration -- see India as a counterweight to China’s growing regional power. A more productive relationship with India is a "hedge" against future Chinese ambitions, the Pentagon report argued.

Similarly, India would also like to see China’s power checked, given the traditional Indo-China competition and animosity. "The USA and India both view China as a strategic threat and share an interest in understanding Chinese strategic intent, though we do not discuss this publicly," according to an unidentified U.S. admiral quoted in the Pentagon report.

Certainly, such joint concerns are helping promote the idea of the U.S. forming a deeper alliance with India.

"Strategic engagement" with India could become a "future investment" of growing value if Asia becomes a more hostile environment, according to Pentagon thinking. India "should emerge as a vital component of U.S. strategy," the report continued.

"If China emerges as a major power, the USA needs to have friends -- preferably friends who share the same values," the Pentagon report said. "As the U.S. military engages India, as much as we say we do, we cannot separate our thinking on India from our thinking on China."

Added one U.S. officer: "We want a friend in 2020 that will be capable of assisting the U.S. militarily to deal with a Chinese threat."

Indeed, the Pentagon report acknowledged that recent naval cooperation between the U.S. and India has been partly aimed at containing China.

India’s Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Madhavendra Singh also recently expressed concern over the Chinese navy’s "close interaction" with other Indian Ocean countries. India fears that China’s modernization of Burmese naval bases in the Bay of Bengal and its development of Pakistan’s port of Gwadar represent a potential threat to India’s vital sea communications.