'DTTI initiative with India furthers US strategic goals'

Facing a resource crunch, the initiative to co-develop and co-produce hi-tech military hardware with India at a considerable low cost would further America's strategic interest, a top Pentagon official has said.

Making the remarks days after India and the US renewed an enhanced Defence Framework Agreement for the next ten years, the official said that China's with its massive defence expenditure is fast catching up with the US.

"A new initiative, improving technology search and outreach in global markets, recognises that competitive sources of both technology and products are increasingly located outside the US", Frank Kendall Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology & logistics told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing yesterday.

"We have many global allies, friends, and trading partners who share our values and can assist us in acquiring needed defence products," Kendall said.

"For example, the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between the US and India furthers our strategic goals, but it also opens up possibilities for new and competitive sources of products to the Department," he added.

"With our resource constraints we cannot afford to develop unique US systems for every need. Where adequate products are available from our international partners we should welcome and encourage broad competition," he said.

Kendall has returned from a visit to India after President Barrack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced their decision to co-develop and co-produce four hi-tech defence hardware.

"China with massive defence budget expenditure is now fast catching up with the United states. When I left the Pentagon in 1994, the intelligence estimates suggested that, while China might be a concern in the future because of its accelerating economic growth, it would take 15 to 20 years for China to become a peer competitor", Kendall said.

"It is now 20 years later and the intelligence estimates were accurate. China has developed and fielded advanced weapons designed to defeat US power projection forces. Many more are in development," he added.

Kendall also said: "These systems include a range of capabilities but foremost among them are accurate and sophisticated cruise and ballistic missiles designed to attack high value assets, particularly the aircraft carriers and airfields that we depend upon for power projection"

"These missiles, fielded in large numbers and coupled with advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems, modern air-to-air missiles, extensive counter-space capabilities, improved undersea warfare capabilities, fifth generation fighters, and offensive cyber weapons pose a serious and growing threat, he added.

"China's modernisation program is the most ambitious, but Russia and others such as Iran are also fielding precision missiles and other capabilities that threaten our power projection capabilities," Kendall said.

"The foreign modernisation programs are clearly designed to counter American power projection forces and to ensure the US does not interfere in areas similar to what Russia calls "the near abroad" and China refers to as inside "the first island chain," he added.

"Even if our relationships with these states remain peaceful and military confrontation with them never occurs, the capabilities I am concerned about will inevitably proliferate to other states where the likelihood of conflict may be greater," Kendall said.