India, US open new chapter in defence trade
The breakthrough in operationalising the India-US nuclear agreement has understandably hogged all the limelight but there have also been other important achievements in the course of US President Barack Obama's visit that deserve attention. Primary among these is the Defence Technology Trade Initiative which not only intensifies military-to-military cooperation but also puts the spotlight on technology transfer and joint production, which India has been seeking with almost all its military partners.
The new framework builds on the first plan that was signed in 2005 and provides the blueprint for India-US defence cooperation for the next 10 years. If the 2005 DTTI was historic for breaking the ice and laying the groundwork for an unprecedented partnership, the 2015 version marks a definite shift from a transactional relationship to a more organic one. In other words, if the past decade saw India sourcing an increasingly large proportion of its defence needs from the US — by some estimates, India bought $10 billion worth of military hardware from the US — the next decade will see the two countries sharing technology and co-producing weapons. Yes, there has been much talk in this regard for quite some time now but there are many complications with such projects that need to be addressed. For example, why should American companies give away their hard-earned technology to Indian firms when they will not be allowed a majority share in the new projectIJ Can India sell the technology or the weapon produced through such collaboration to a third countryIJ
The DTTI addresses these issues and, importantly, kickstarts the co-production process. Four projects have been selected as ‘pathfinders': These are the next-generation Raven unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance modules for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, the roll-on, roll-off intelligence kits for the transport aircraft and the mobile electric hybrid power source. None of these are particularly complex projects, as compared to say the production of the next-generation Javelin anti-tank guided missiles that the Americans were pushing for, but that's precisely why the former have been chosen. Eventually, more cooperation is expected in bigger projects such as the development of aircraft carriers and jet engines, as working groups for these are being set up.
Outside the defence segment, the two countries have made significant progress in intensifying counter-terrorism efforts. While the details have not been made public, India and the US have agreed to share information on known and suspected terrorists. Pakistan-based terror outfits that are not just a threat to India but also spawn the jihadi network worldwide, are on the joint target list. These efforts were set in motion during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US tour in September 2014 and they have been furthered during this summit. Another security-related development that deserves a mention is the plan for a joint agreement on countering cyber threats. Finally, the establishment of two hotlines — one between the two heads of Government and another between the two National Security Advisors — also speaks volumes about deepening cooperation between the two countries.