Antony cautions Centre on sharing of military logistics with U.S.

Sharing of military logistics with the United States will have serious repercussions on India's independent foreign policy and strategic autonomy, former defence minister A.K. Antony told ANI in an exclusive interview.

Cautioning the NDA government, the former defence minister said, "India has been following an independent foreign policy and strategic autonomy all along. India is against joining any military block. But, after signing the logistic support agreement with the U.S., India will become a part of the U.S. military block."

"This decision, if implemented, will be disastrous. I appeal to the government to reconsider their decision and not sign all three foundation agreements whatever may be the pressure from any quarter," said Antony, while urging the government to reconsider its decision and not buckle under any pressure.

"This decision is an evasion of our policy followed since independence. India will become part of the U.S. military block. If you sign this agreement, the U.S. military, especially the navy and air force, will get facilities on Indian soil to refuel their aircraft and ships, and if necessary they can keep their military equipments on Indian soil," said the former defence minister, adding that that is why they were resisting the proposal from successive U.S. governments during the former UPA regime.

"As far as India is concerned, our military rarely goes to foreign shores. We are operating within the boundary on Indian soil. By signing this agreement, the U.S. military is going to be the real beneficiary. They (the U.S.) have already announced within three years, 60 percent of the U.S. Marine will be stationed in the Asia-Pacific region. So, gradually U.S. Navy's and a major portion of their air force's main operation theatre will be the Asia-Pacific," he added.

"They will be the beneficiary of the signing of this agreement and they are compelling us to signing of two more agreements -Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial intelligence. These three agreements are so-called foundation agreements. If you sign all three, the Indian military will become an integral part of the U.S. military establishment, and that will be end of India's strategic autonomy and it will become merely a part of the U.S. military block," he warned.

Antony said India maintains friendly relations with all major powers.

"We have a very friendly and traditional relationship with former Soviet Union and now with Russia. We are gradually improving our relations with the US. We are also our relations with Japan, Europe and the Middle East," he said.