US offers ‘closest partner’ India top-end defence tech
Chidanand Rajghatta, TNN | Sep 28, 2013, 05.55 AM IST
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US offers ‘closest partner’ India top-end defence tech
Following a summit meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House, the two countries produce a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation, separate from the Joint Statement, to codify and announce their defense clinch that is everything but a formal military alliance in name.
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WASHINGTON: Remember the ''we are just good friends'' refrain from Bollywood pairs who didn't particularly want the world to know they were getting into the sack at a time when the industry was really coy? Well, something like that has characterized US-India ties, with the utmost reluctance, mainly on part of New Delhi, to be identified as a US ally. Both sides contrived to use all kinds of synonyms — natural partners, friends etc — to get around becoming formal treaty allies.
Well, all such pretense goes out of the window with the declaration between the two countries on Friday that they ''share common security interests and place each other at the same level as their closest partners.'' In fact, following a summit meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House, the two sides found it necessary to produce a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation, separate from the Joint Statement, to codify and announce their defense clinch that is everything but a formal military alliance in name.
Taking off from the expanded defense cooperation set forth in the 2005 New Framework Agreement which first initiated the military relationship, the two sides said the principle of treating each other as closest partners will apply with respect to defense technology transfer, trade, research, co-development and co-production for defense articles and services, ''including the most advanced and sophisticated technology.'' The declaration said the U.S continues to fully support India's full membership in the four international export control regimes, which would further facilitate technology sharing.
In the run up to the meeting, there were searching queries on whether the U.S was pursuing a defense trade initiative (which implies merely hawking its military goods) as opposed to the defense technology initiative (which implies sharing and transfer) which India sought. The joint declaration indicates it will be both — and beyond, going into the collaborative sphere.
The two sides, says the declaration, will continue their efforts to strengthen mutual understanding of their respective procurement systems and approval processes, and to address process-related difficulties in defense trade, technology transfer, and collaboration.
And just to make sure that it is not all words, the two sides also put a timeframe on tie-ups, saying they look forward to the identification of specific opportunities for cooperative and collaborative projects in advanced defense technologies and systems, within the next year. Recognizing the persistent differences on end-user agreements and other such wrinkles, the declaration said such opportunities will be pursued by both sides in accordance with their national policies and procedures, in a manner that would reflect the full potential of the relationship.
Elsewhere, the declaration said the two sides will work to improve licensing processes, and, where applicable, follow expedited license approval processes to facilitate this cooperation. They are also committed to protecting each other's sensitive technology and information, it added.
The defense declaration came after the Obama-Singh meeting ''emphasized the need for more intensive defense cooperation on both sides'' the joint statement said. The Leaders reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen defense trade cooperation, endorsing a Joint Declaration on Defense Cooperation as a means of enhancing their partnership in defense technology transfer, joint research, co-development, and co-production, it added. President Obama, it also said, encouraged the further participation of U.S. firms in partnering India's efforts to enhance its defense capacities.
There was no specific mention of the guns and planes — additional C-130Js, Chinooks, Apaches — that New Delhi reportedly wants to buy from the U.S. But the joint declarations make one thing clear -- everything is on the table, including hardware that some formal allies can't get their hands on.
US offers ‘closest partner’ India top-end defence tech
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-offers-closest-partner-India-top-end-defence-tech/articleshow/23187942.cms
