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NEW DELHI: Manohar Parrikar will head for his first official visit to the US as defence minister later this week to discuss a slew of proposals for co-production of top-notch military equipment as well as bolstering maritime security, counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing between the two countries.
While Parrikar leaves for the US on December 4, his "substantive" meetings with his American counterpart Ashton Carter are slated for December 9-10. "Parrikar will raise the issue of the US continuing to supply advanced weaponry to Pakistan, even as the latter continues to indulge in sabre-rattling with tactical nuclear weapons and keeps the terror infrastructure alive on its soil," said a source.
Having already bagged Indian defence deals worth over $13 billion since 2007, with several others being in the pipeline, the US is keen for India to ink two bilateral "foundational agreements" that have been kept pending for long.
The contentious military pacts, the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA), were kept in cold storage by the previous UPA agreement, with the then defence minister A K Antony being staunchly opposed to them.
After the NDA government came to power last year, and the inking of the new 10-year India-US defence framework agreement and joint vision statement for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region earlier this year, Washington has renewed its thrust on the two pacts. "Some discussions have taken place," the source said.
The LSA envisages the two militaries providing logistics support, refuelling and berthing facilities for each other's warships and aircraft on a barter or an equal-value exchange basis. CISMOA, in turn, is touted to be a "technology enabler" that will smoothen transfer of high-tech avionics and electronics to India from the US.
Another important agenda during Parrikar's visit will be to identify more military technologies for co-development and production under the bilateral Defence Technology and Trade Initiative. "There are several technologies on the table," said the source.
Though the first four "pathfinder" projects were quite modest in scope, ranging from protection gear for soldiers to mini-UAVs, joint working groups are now underway for joint development of jet engines and aircraft carrier design and construction technologies.
India is particularly interested in EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch systems), developed by General Atomics for aircraft carriers, for its long-term project to construct the 65,000-tonne carrier INS Vishal.
The US also wants India to engage in more multi-lateral naval engagements in the Asia-Pacific region after the two countries held a trilateral Malabar exercise with Japan in the Bay of Bengal in October.
Washington believes there is strategic convergence between New Delhi's 'Act East' policy and its ongoing "re-balance" of military forces to the Asia Pacific, in the backdrop of China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.
Though keen to remain neutral in the ongoing power play in the Asia Pacific, India has repeatedly stressed the need for freedom of navigation in international waters, right of passage and over-flight, and unimpeded commerce and access to resources. These principles also found mention in the joint statements after the Modi-Obama summits
Read more at:
Manohar Parrikar to discuss joint military tech projects, Pakistan in the US - The Economic Times
@nair @GURU DUTT @MilSpec @AUSTERLITZ @SarthakGanguly
While Parrikar leaves for the US on December 4, his "substantive" meetings with his American counterpart Ashton Carter are slated for December 9-10. "Parrikar will raise the issue of the US continuing to supply advanced weaponry to Pakistan, even as the latter continues to indulge in sabre-rattling with tactical nuclear weapons and keeps the terror infrastructure alive on its soil," said a source.
Having already bagged Indian defence deals worth over $13 billion since 2007, with several others being in the pipeline, the US is keen for India to ink two bilateral "foundational agreements" that have been kept pending for long.
The contentious military pacts, the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) and the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum Agreement (CISMOA), were kept in cold storage by the previous UPA agreement, with the then defence minister A K Antony being staunchly opposed to them.
After the NDA government came to power last year, and the inking of the new 10-year India-US defence framework agreement and joint vision statement for the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region earlier this year, Washington has renewed its thrust on the two pacts. "Some discussions have taken place," the source said.
The LSA envisages the two militaries providing logistics support, refuelling and berthing facilities for each other's warships and aircraft on a barter or an equal-value exchange basis. CISMOA, in turn, is touted to be a "technology enabler" that will smoothen transfer of high-tech avionics and electronics to India from the US.
Another important agenda during Parrikar's visit will be to identify more military technologies for co-development and production under the bilateral Defence Technology and Trade Initiative. "There are several technologies on the table," said the source.
Though the first four "pathfinder" projects were quite modest in scope, ranging from protection gear for soldiers to mini-UAVs, joint working groups are now underway for joint development of jet engines and aircraft carrier design and construction technologies.
India is particularly interested in EMALS (electromagnetic aircraft launch systems), developed by General Atomics for aircraft carriers, for its long-term project to construct the 65,000-tonne carrier INS Vishal.
The US also wants India to engage in more multi-lateral naval engagements in the Asia-Pacific region after the two countries held a trilateral Malabar exercise with Japan in the Bay of Bengal in October.
Washington believes there is strategic convergence between New Delhi's 'Act East' policy and its ongoing "re-balance" of military forces to the Asia Pacific, in the backdrop of China's aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.
Though keen to remain neutral in the ongoing power play in the Asia Pacific, India has repeatedly stressed the need for freedom of navigation in international waters, right of passage and over-flight, and unimpeded commerce and access to resources. These principles also found mention in the joint statements after the Modi-Obama summits
Read more at:
Manohar Parrikar to discuss joint military tech projects, Pakistan in the US - The Economic Times
@nair @GURU DUTT @MilSpec @AUSTERLITZ @SarthakGanguly
