Lankan Ranger
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US promoting defence ties with India via Israel: Analysis
The US is indirectly promoting defence cooperation with India via Israel so as not to upset its strategic partner Pakistan, a Russian expert has said in a published analysis, writes Arun Mohanty from Moscow.
The US probably cannot afford to annoy its strategic ally in the war on terror, by strengthening ties with India. Hence developing military technical cooperation with India through Israel is crucial for Washington, said Nodar Mosaki.
The US of late has demonstrated an unprecedented interest in developing defence cooperation with India and is keen to gain a foothold in the countrys lucrative arms market, he claimed.
The US keenness on military cooperation with India can be explained by Washingtons plan to combat Chinas growing might in the region and tap Indias multi-billion dollar arms market, according to an analysis by the scholar from Moscows Oriental Institute. Israel, which builds its defence ties with other countries with tacit support from Washington, is increasingly becoming an important military hardware supplier for India.
Israel had to cancel defence deals with China under U.S. pressure, whereas Washington has never objected to the growth of defence cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv except once.
Media reports said the US objected to the Phalcon radar deal between Israel and India, but Washington had explained it was not opposed to the deal in principle; it was opposed to the timing.
The deal was not to the liking of the US because it was at the peak of the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, and the sale would upset Pakistan, a strategic US ally.
The analysis said Israel is even involved in the modernisation and repairing of military hardware in India, 75 percent of whose armed forces are equipped with Soviet and Russian-made arms.
Defence cooperation between India and Israel has apparently caused concern in Moscow.
The burgeoning cooperation holds potential danger for Russia that might lose important military contracts with New Delhi, and this is likely to weaken the traditionally strong military-technical cooperation between the two strategic partners, said Mosaki.
The Russian expert drew attention to the new geopolitical realities that have emerged after the Soviet break up and the end of the Cold War, forcing India to chart a new policy.
India was initially in favour of the Palestinian liberation movement in its struggle against Israeli occupation that evoked respect for India in the Arab and Muslim world, he said.
Later, however, New Delhi realised the new realities of the emerging unipolar world dominated by the sole superpower, the U.S., and established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.
The Arab worlds support for India in comparison to the benefits stemming from pragmatic cooperation with Israel weighed in favour of the latter, which made India embark on a path of increasing cooperation, firstly in the military sphere, with Israel, he said.
US to sell India Firefinder radar system
The Bush Administration has decided to sell India eight Firefinder weapon-locating radar systems worth $146 million in the wake of stepped up defence cooperation between the two countries after September 11, reports Vasantha Arora from Washington.
It has sought the permission of Congress to release the sophisticated equipment that India has specifically wanted.
Besides the sale of eight AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar sets, India is all set to get 26 radios, generators, trailers, communications equipment and global positioning systems (GPS), said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a wing of the Pentagon that oversees the sale of weapons to foreign countries.
The U.S. Congress can take 30 days to approve the sales or it could even block them if it is dissatisfied, which is highly unlikely, according to sources in the Defence Department. India was one of the first nations to back the U.S. in its fight against terrorism soon after the September 11 terror attacks.
New Delhi was rewarded for the support when the Bush Administration earmarked $75 million in its 2003 budget as military aid for India, a large increase from the $7 million allocated in 2002.
Defence Minister George Fernandes, who visited the Pentagon recently and met with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had confidently told reporters that the U.S would soon meet Indias list of weapons and military hardware needs.
According to Pentagon sources, the main contractors for the deal are Raytheon Co.s Hughes Aircraft unit and ITT Industries Inc.
The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the U.S. by helping to improve the security of a country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in South Asia, the DSCA said in a statement.
It said India needed radar sets to fulfil strategic commitments for making its communications equipment compatible with that of U.S. forces and to be able to communicate with various vehicles.
The proposed sale is an indication of an improvement in bilateral relations between the U.S. and India.
Pakistan has also received a significant share of military aid from the U.S. in the proposed 2003 budget as a reward for supporting the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The U.S. is expected to exercise caution with its arms sales to India and Pakistan in the context of the tense situation on their common border where a million troops have been deployed since the terrorist strike on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
Fernandess defence of coffin scam full of holes
An Opposition lawmaker on February 26 dismissed Defence Minister George Fernandess justification of the controversial purchase of caskets for Indian soldiers, saying it was full of inconsistencies, writes Laskar.
R.K. Anand, a noted lawyer and Congress party MP, accused Fernandes of covering up several important details and documents while defending the purchase of 500 aluminum caskets and 3,000 body bags from a U.S. firm for $1.5 million.
Fernandes had recently circulated a booklet, written by journalist R.V. Pandit and based on non-classified documents of the defence ministry, among MPs to defend the purchase of the caskets.
Anand, however, said the booklet was nothing but a sham as it did not include various documents that showed that the U.S. company had initially offered to supply the body bags at a lower rate.
Although Pandit has said that he wrote the booklet in his capacity as a campaigner against corruption, Anand alleged that Pandit had links with several leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) including Home Minister L.K. Advani.
According to a contract signed in August 1999, the U.S. firm agreed to supply the body bags for $85 each. Anand said documents included in Pandits booklet showed that the company had earlier offered to supply the bags for $27.50 each.
It is unfair to circulate such a booklet among MPs, Anand said.
The decision to buy the caskets and body bags was made in mid-1999 when the Indian Army was fighting Pakistan-backed mercenaries who had occupied strategic heights along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
India lost 520 soldiers in the border conflict, while thousands were maimed and wounded.
The first lot of 150 caskets arrived in India well after the conflict ended. The Defence Ministry cancelled the deal after it was found that the caskets weighed much more than the stipulated 18 kg.
Indias top financial watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has already indicted the Defence Ministry for various lapses in the purchase of the caskets, a deal referred to by the press as the coffin scam.
In a report issued last year, the CAG said no tests had been conducted on the quality of the caskets. It also said the defence ministry had violated existing regulations on defence purchases by failing to consider suppliers other than the U.S. firm.
While the US firm supplied the caskets for $2,500 each, Anand said documents contained in Pandits booklet showed that companies in France, Britain and Germany had offered similar products for significantly lower prices.
Even on the internet, there are firms offering caskets for very low prices. I fail to understand why we had to go to this particular American company, he said. Fernandes has been mired in controversy since he and other leaders of his Samata Party were linked to alleged irregularities in defence deals uncovered by investigative reporters last year. He was forced to resign after that controversy broke in March last year but he returned to the cabinet seven months later.
US promoting defence ties with India via Israel: Analysis,Security Issues, News Analysis, India News Online
The US is indirectly promoting defence cooperation with India via Israel so as not to upset its strategic partner Pakistan, a Russian expert has said in a published analysis, writes Arun Mohanty from Moscow.
The US probably cannot afford to annoy its strategic ally in the war on terror, by strengthening ties with India. Hence developing military technical cooperation with India through Israel is crucial for Washington, said Nodar Mosaki.
The US of late has demonstrated an unprecedented interest in developing defence cooperation with India and is keen to gain a foothold in the countrys lucrative arms market, he claimed.
The US keenness on military cooperation with India can be explained by Washingtons plan to combat Chinas growing might in the region and tap Indias multi-billion dollar arms market, according to an analysis by the scholar from Moscows Oriental Institute. Israel, which builds its defence ties with other countries with tacit support from Washington, is increasingly becoming an important military hardware supplier for India.
Israel had to cancel defence deals with China under U.S. pressure, whereas Washington has never objected to the growth of defence cooperation between New Delhi and Tel Aviv except once.
Media reports said the US objected to the Phalcon radar deal between Israel and India, but Washington had explained it was not opposed to the deal in principle; it was opposed to the timing.
The deal was not to the liking of the US because it was at the peak of the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, and the sale would upset Pakistan, a strategic US ally.
The analysis said Israel is even involved in the modernisation and repairing of military hardware in India, 75 percent of whose armed forces are equipped with Soviet and Russian-made arms.
Defence cooperation between India and Israel has apparently caused concern in Moscow.
The burgeoning cooperation holds potential danger for Russia that might lose important military contracts with New Delhi, and this is likely to weaken the traditionally strong military-technical cooperation between the two strategic partners, said Mosaki.
The Russian expert drew attention to the new geopolitical realities that have emerged after the Soviet break up and the end of the Cold War, forcing India to chart a new policy.
India was initially in favour of the Palestinian liberation movement in its struggle against Israeli occupation that evoked respect for India in the Arab and Muslim world, he said.
Later, however, New Delhi realised the new realities of the emerging unipolar world dominated by the sole superpower, the U.S., and established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.
The Arab worlds support for India in comparison to the benefits stemming from pragmatic cooperation with Israel weighed in favour of the latter, which made India embark on a path of increasing cooperation, firstly in the military sphere, with Israel, he said.
US to sell India Firefinder radar system
The Bush Administration has decided to sell India eight Firefinder weapon-locating radar systems worth $146 million in the wake of stepped up defence cooperation between the two countries after September 11, reports Vasantha Arora from Washington.
It has sought the permission of Congress to release the sophisticated equipment that India has specifically wanted.
Besides the sale of eight AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar sets, India is all set to get 26 radios, generators, trailers, communications equipment and global positioning systems (GPS), said the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a wing of the Pentagon that oversees the sale of weapons to foreign countries.
The U.S. Congress can take 30 days to approve the sales or it could even block them if it is dissatisfied, which is highly unlikely, according to sources in the Defence Department. India was one of the first nations to back the U.S. in its fight against terrorism soon after the September 11 terror attacks.
New Delhi was rewarded for the support when the Bush Administration earmarked $75 million in its 2003 budget as military aid for India, a large increase from the $7 million allocated in 2002.
Defence Minister George Fernandes, who visited the Pentagon recently and met with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had confidently told reporters that the U.S would soon meet Indias list of weapons and military hardware needs.
According to Pentagon sources, the main contractors for the deal are Raytheon Co.s Hughes Aircraft unit and ITT Industries Inc.
The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the U.S. by helping to improve the security of a country which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in South Asia, the DSCA said in a statement.
It said India needed radar sets to fulfil strategic commitments for making its communications equipment compatible with that of U.S. forces and to be able to communicate with various vehicles.
The proposed sale is an indication of an improvement in bilateral relations between the U.S. and India.
Pakistan has also received a significant share of military aid from the U.S. in the proposed 2003 budget as a reward for supporting the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The U.S. is expected to exercise caution with its arms sales to India and Pakistan in the context of the tense situation on their common border where a million troops have been deployed since the terrorist strike on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi.
Fernandess defence of coffin scam full of holes
An Opposition lawmaker on February 26 dismissed Defence Minister George Fernandess justification of the controversial purchase of caskets for Indian soldiers, saying it was full of inconsistencies, writes Laskar.
R.K. Anand, a noted lawyer and Congress party MP, accused Fernandes of covering up several important details and documents while defending the purchase of 500 aluminum caskets and 3,000 body bags from a U.S. firm for $1.5 million.
Fernandes had recently circulated a booklet, written by journalist R.V. Pandit and based on non-classified documents of the defence ministry, among MPs to defend the purchase of the caskets.
Anand, however, said the booklet was nothing but a sham as it did not include various documents that showed that the U.S. company had initially offered to supply the body bags at a lower rate.
Although Pandit has said that he wrote the booklet in his capacity as a campaigner against corruption, Anand alleged that Pandit had links with several leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) including Home Minister L.K. Advani.
According to a contract signed in August 1999, the U.S. firm agreed to supply the body bags for $85 each. Anand said documents included in Pandits booklet showed that the company had earlier offered to supply the bags for $27.50 each.
It is unfair to circulate such a booklet among MPs, Anand said.
The decision to buy the caskets and body bags was made in mid-1999 when the Indian Army was fighting Pakistan-backed mercenaries who had occupied strategic heights along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
India lost 520 soldiers in the border conflict, while thousands were maimed and wounded.
The first lot of 150 caskets arrived in India well after the conflict ended. The Defence Ministry cancelled the deal after it was found that the caskets weighed much more than the stipulated 18 kg.
Indias top financial watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has already indicted the Defence Ministry for various lapses in the purchase of the caskets, a deal referred to by the press as the coffin scam.
In a report issued last year, the CAG said no tests had been conducted on the quality of the caskets. It also said the defence ministry had violated existing regulations on defence purchases by failing to consider suppliers other than the U.S. firm.
While the US firm supplied the caskets for $2,500 each, Anand said documents contained in Pandits booklet showed that companies in France, Britain and Germany had offered similar products for significantly lower prices.
Even on the internet, there are firms offering caskets for very low prices. I fail to understand why we had to go to this particular American company, he said. Fernandes has been mired in controversy since he and other leaders of his Samata Party were linked to alleged irregularities in defence deals uncovered by investigative reporters last year. He was forced to resign after that controversy broke in March last year but he returned to the cabinet seven months later.
US promoting defence ties with India via Israel: Analysis,Security Issues, News Analysis, India News Online
