![](https://www.nextias.com/ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/55040Screenshot_2.png)
In Context
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent U. S. visit will boost bilateral ties and deepen strategic defence & technology collaboration.
Defence & technology collaboration between India & USA
- The recent announcements that will take the defence ties between the countries to a new high:
- Potential joint manufacture of General Electric (GE) Aerospace’s F414 engines in India by GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to power India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft MK2 & the twin-engine Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft MK1.
- The purchase of 31 high-altitude, long-endurance Predator-MQ-9B armed unmanned aerial vehicles.
- Deepened Military cooperation:
- India has bought from the U.S.
- The C-130 and C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft,
- AH-64E Apache attack helicopters
- CH-47 Chinook and MH-60R multi-role helicopters,
- P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and
- M777 ultra light howitzers, among others.
- The U.S. has been aggressively pitching its fighter jets, the F-16 and F/A-18, for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
- India and the U.S. had tried and shelved an earlier engine development effort under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative some years ago.
- But now, the new jet engine deal is an investment in each other to address the shared security concerns, while continuing to navigate the disagreements.
- India has bought from the U.S.
Significance
- Geopolitical:
- Top among their shared concerns is China and its expansion in the Indo-Pacific.
- The U.S. also wants to wean India away from its defence partnership with Russia in the long term.
- Technological:
- From a technological perspective, the newly announced joint initiatives in jet engine production, semiconductors and space technology present an opportunity for India to develop a defence industry of its own, and improve its technological competence across the board.
India-USA Relations
- About:
- India and the US share values of democracy, rule of law, human rights, and religious freedom that bind the countries together.
- Bilateral engagement:
- India and the United States enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership covering almost all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests on a range of issues, and vibrant people-to-people contacts.
- Regular exchanges at the leadership-level have been an integral element of the expanding bilateral engagement.
- Despite COVID-19 pandemic, India-U.S. cooperation witnessed intense engagement under various bilateral dialogue mechanisms in a wide range of areas including defence, security, health, trade, economic, science & technology, energy and people-to-people ties.
- Defence and Security:
- India-US defence cooperation is based on “New Framework for IndiaUS Defence Cooperation”, which was renewed for a period of ten years in 2015.
- In 2016, the defence relationship was designated as a Major Defence Partnership (MDP).
- The MDP recognizes a shared desire to build a comprehensive, enduring and mutually beneficial defence partnership.
- Several defence agreements have also been signed in recent years.
- Bilateral military exercises and defence exchanges are important aspects of deepening military-to-military cooperation.
- Quad:
- The four Quad partners (India, Japan, United States & Australia) first formed a “Core Group” in 2004, to swiftly mobilise aid during the joint response to the 2004 Tsunami. Since 2017, Quad engagements have increased and intensified.
- In 2019, the first Quad Foreign Ministerial Meeting was held in New York (December 2019).
- Counter Terrorism Cooperation:
- Cooperation in counter-terrorism has seen considerable progress with information exchange, operational cooperation and sharing of counterterrorism technology and equipment. India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism oversees the expanding CT cooperation.
- Cyber Security Cooperation:
- The India-US Cyber Framework signed in September 2016, provides for expanding cooperation in the cyber domain.
- Trade & Economic Relations:
- The rapidly expanding trade and commercial linkages form an important component of the multi-faceted partnership between India and the United States.
- The U.S. is India’s second largest trading partner and a major destination for our exports of goods and services.
- The US is one of the top 5 investment destinations for Indian FDI.
- Indian Diaspora:
- About 4.2 million Indian Americans/Indian origin people reside in the US. The Indian Americans [3.18 million] constitute the third largest Asian ethnic group in the US.
Challenges
- India’s preference to its strategic autonomy:
- While its embrace with the U.S. is getting stronger, deeper and more comprehensive, India is also cognisant of the need to maintain its strategic autonomy.
- U.S. strategy at the moment is focused on creating a new bipolarity in the world, which India is not comfortable with.
- Conflicting positions:
- India’s position on Ukraine war:
- India’s muted criticism of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 expectedly led to some frustration in the West, raising questions over India’s credibility as a security partner.
- Even with converging Indo-US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific, differences persist between Washington and New Delhi.
- Position on Indo-Pacific region:
- The US views the Indo-Pacific as a region where rules-based liberal international order needs to be preserved vis-à-vis China’s assertive rise and even the Russian threat.
- By contrast, India does not see the Indo-Pacific as an exclusive group of actors in a region that is against any country.
- New Delhi considers it an “inclusive” region and has, at times, even signalled the inclusion of China and Russia within its definition of the Indo-Pacific.
- India’s position on Ukraine war:
Way ahead
- Overall, India-US strategic and security ties are not perfect and are unlikely to be so in the coming future.
- The spectre of divergences will continue to exist within the role compatibility the two enjoy.
- India’s desire to protect its borders and sovereignty aligns with U.S. interests. This is a new era of mutual trust between the two countries, and it should act as a force for stability in the region.
Daily Mains Question
[Q] What is the significance of India’s deepening strategic, defence & technology collaboration with the USA? What are the spectres of divergence between them? |
Previous article
A grand revival: on India-Egypt Ties
Next article
A model for quality and inclusive education