New 10-year agreement seeks to deepen India-US defence strategic ties

India and the United States have agreed to deepen strategic ties with a new 10-year agreement on defence cooperation, which will be signed later this year.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Feb 13, when they spoke for four hours, and announced what they called a “historic initiative” for the 21st century that will cover “military partnership, accelerated commerce and technology”. 

 

Later, at a joint news conference, Trump, who complained of India’s trade surplus with the US, said, “Starting this year, we will increase military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters.”

 

During his remarks, Modi said, “America plays an important role in India’s defence preparedness.”

 

The joint statement, released by the Ministry of External Affairs, does not mention F-35, although it says the US is announcing a review of its policy on releasing fifth-generation fighters and undersea systems to India. 

 

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters that no formal process of India “acquiring an advanced aviation platform” has started yet.

 

Lockheed Martin, the US company that makes F-35, unveiled the supersonic single-engine plane in India at Aero India 2023. India has started its own programme to make stealth fighters, with mass production planned for 2035-36.  

 

“We spend a lot of money buying weapons and systems from outside. So, we need to be careful about what we buy,” retired Air Marshal Anil Khosla said.

 

The process of buying such jets usually takes long and as technology evolves, what is considered fifth generation today, might be old by the time it is delivered.

 

“India needs fifth-generation aircraft, but developing them at home would be the ideal solution,” the former vice chief of air staff at the Indian Air Force, said.

 

One F-35 could cost $80 million.

 

Other than the ongoing sales of American-made fighters and attack helicopters, the US will sell anti-tank guided missiles (Javelin) and infantry combat vehicles (Stryker) to India this year. The US is also expected to complete the sale of six more P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. India has spent more than $20 billion in defence procurement from the US since 2008.

 

The US recognises India as a “major defence partner”, which means while India is technically not an “ally” (unlike, say, NATO), given India’s strategic autonomy, the US can consider transferring some technology, for instance.

 

The joint statement says the US and India will review the respective arms-transfer regulations in order to streamline defence trade, technology exchange and maintenance, spare supplies and in-country repair, and overhaul of US-provided defence systems.

 

“The ‘major defence partner’ status didn’t really result in substantive gains on the ground earlier,” Vivek Mishra, deputy director, strategic studies programme, Observer Research Foundation, a think tank, said. “The MDP might finally unravel.”

 

Modi also invited Trump to the Quad summit that India will host later this year.

 

India has been slow to warm up to the grouping of the US, Australia, Japan and itself, mindful of China’s anxiety. But Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean has pushed India more towards the Quad.

 

“Trump will want to see India as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mishra said.