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10 April 2016

US Defence Secretary Carter Visit: A Test of India’s Multi-Alignment Foreign Policy

Rahul Bhonsle
Apr 8, 2016 
US Secretary of Defence Mr Ashton Carter is due to visit New Delhi on 10 April. Carter has earned the reputation of being the most pro-India head of the Pentagon in recent years if not all times to come. He is seen as the principal architect of the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI). DTTI has made some preliminary strides in identifying possible key projects in the past two years.
Indian media including The Hindu, which is known for being left of centre is abuzz with the news that India and the United States will be signing the three foundational agreements, Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), Logistics Support Agreement and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). There are other reports that minimal achievement during the Carter visit is likely to be the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA) suitably modified to meet some of the Indian concerns.

The Secretary of Defence comes well armed with a Bill that has been introduced in the US Congress for institutionalising India-US Strategic relationship. US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act (HR 4825) has a larger purport with the Bill stating, “The President is encouraged to coordinate with India on an annual basis to develop military contingency plans for addressing threats to mutual security interests of both countries”. The Bill also calls for developing strategic operation capabilities, defining these as, ‘‘strategic operational capabilities’’ means the ability to execute military operations of mutual security interest while sustaining minimal damages and casualties, through the use of military means, possessed in sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities”.
Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus who has proposed the Resolution states, "This legislation will cement the process that has already been made and will lay a foundation for future cooperation and growth." While the Bill is under consideration, its initiation will provide Carter, a strong hand in suggesting the United States long-term interests in a defence relationship with India overlapping administrations with Congressional oversight.
There have been extensive preparations made ahead of the Visit. Secretary Carter in his remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,” Breaking New Ground: Preparing DoD for the Future,” on 5 April 2016 when asked about the trajectory of defence relations with India given that he has invested a lot of time in the same was pragmatic.

He stated, “____the word I’ve used with respect to the United States and India is “destiny,” that here are two great nations that share a lot: a democratic form of government, commitment to individual freedom and so forth. So I talked about values earlier on. And India is a place where it’s – sure it’s a different culture. It’s actually many cultures all – but like us, it’s a multicultural melting pot determined to work together”.

He outlined two common strands and objectives between India and the United States – Asia Pacific Rebalancing and Act East and Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) and Make in India. Carter acknowledged that India was not likely to be an exclusive partner of the United States as he said, “Indians are, like many others, also proud. So they want to do things independently, and they want to do things their own way. They don’t want to do things just with us. They want to do things with – all that’s fine. So we’re not looking for anything exclusive. But we are looking for as close a relationship and a stronger relationship as we can because it’s geopolitically grounded”.

The pursuit of the DTTI precedes the visit with the India Rapid Reaction Cell (IRRC), the only country-specific cell in the Pentagon under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defence Acquisition, Technology and Logistics in New Delhi. The IRRC was set up in January 2015 with a six-member team which is indicative of the importance attached to deepening strategic cooperation with India. Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defence for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics who heads the IRRC and is also the co-chair of DTTI along with Mr A K Gupta, Indian Secretary (Defence Production) has been interacting with Indian officials as well as think tanks to progress and identify new projects. The fifth meeting of the India-US Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group has possibly been held and markup of the same would be processed for the high-level engagement between Secretary Carter and India’s Defence Minister Mr Manohar Parrikar.

The IRRC is Ash Carter's initiative as a part of the DTTI which was launched in 2012 to deepen high-technology cooperation and move towards co-development and co-production of high technology platforms. The IRRC is specifically mentioned in the US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act (HR 4825). Duncan Lange heads the India Rapid Reaction Cell (IRRC) in the Pentagon.

Another group that is active is the Joint U.S.-India DTTI Interagency Task Force (DIATF) co-chaired by the Director for International Cooperation, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Mr Keith Webster. The aim of this group is to carry out interagency coordination within the government of the United States for progressing projects including technology transfer and related issues.

Interestingly India and the United States are discussing American offer to supply F/A-18 "Super Hornet" fighters and F 16 fighters to IAF under the Make in India programme. US government representatives, as well as Boeing and F-16 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, are reported to have made some presentations, however, this is only preliminary projections and progress will remain rather slow with nothing much anticipated during the Carter visit.

A host of joint events in the Indo-US defence spectrum is ongoing coinciding the high profile visit. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen Dalbir Singh, is on a four-day goodwill visit to the USA from 05 to 08 Apr 2016. The visit is a part of the ongoing High-Level Exchanges between India & USA. The Indian Air Force team to take part in the Air Exercise, “Ex-Red Flag-16-1” which is scheduled from 28 Apr 16 to 13 May 2016 at Eielson AFB Alaska has reportedly departed. USS Blue Ridge the flagship of the Seventh Fleet is in Mumbai on the first visit.

The search of "remains of the crew of an American B24 bomber plane (nicknamed Hot as Hell) that crashed in Arunachal Pradesh in January, 1944," should hopefully be on the agenda as India and the US have long committed to the same. While the search began in October last year it was soon abandoned due to unstable ground after recovery of remains of a few persons. Mr Carter could press home for revival of the search.

There may be some hiccups. While the DTTI remains work in progress as some projects require more detailed preparations on both sides with many more joint meetings than held at present, the larger axis of co-joining Asia Pacific rebalancing with Act East with an agenda for joint maritime patrolling in the Asia-Pacific region is unlikely to manifest. 

Chief of US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris hoped the Indian and the United States will be able to undertake joint patrolling shortly while delivering his address at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi on 02 March. The remarks came as a follow up of that made by the American Ambassador to India Mr Richard Verma, who hoped that one day American and Indian naval ships will chug along together shoulder to shoulder.

In response, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that India is in for joint military exercise but not for joint patrolling."As of now, India has never participated in joint patrolling. But we do participate in joint exercise. So the question of joint patrolling at this stage does not arise," he said addressing reporters at South Block. The American commander had also pitched for a quad-lateral security dialogue among India, Japan, Australia and the US. "I don't respond to what the US Admiral has said. Our viewpoint will come to you if we at all consider any such thing from our side. It may be his calibrated thinking," Parrikar said.

As per the Business Standard asked if India would sign the long-pending Logistics Support Agreement with the US, the minister said that anything that will be done would be in the interest of the country."It has to benefit the nation on various counts. We definitely would say that this government is very active on almost everything. We don't like to unnecessarily delay things. So we definitely do paperwork, discussions are going on many things," Parrikar said.

Interestingly Mr Parrikar has also to contend with a visit to China his first happening from 18 April almost a week after that of Defence Secretary Carter. There are substantial issues that will be discussed during the Beijing visit to include India’s growing proximity to the United States in the defence arena. Will Parrikar like to be hobbled by an all-encompassing LSA remains to be seen?

At the diplomatic level, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit is also due shortly. India is holding the BRICS Chairmanship from 1st February to 31 December 2016. In the case of a definitive military tilt towards the United States, BRICS giants Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are unlikely to be as forthcoming with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past.

There are limits to multi-alignment it can succeed when the geopolitical environment is benign, given the flux in international polity at present it is virtually impossible not to step on the toes of the big players on the global stage by aligning even on specific issues with the opposing side.

On the other hand, India may be willing to take the risks associated with multi-alignment if the Speech by Foreign Secretary Mr S Jaishanker at the inauguration of CEIP India Center on April 06, 2016 is anything to go by. Mr Jaishanker stated amongst other remarks, “It is said that the hallmark of a serious power is its ability to pursue competing goals at the same time. That overstatement does bring out an underlying reality – of optimally reconciling the pulls and pressures of global politics. Playing the game on a bigger stage and at a higher level does need more engagement, better understanding and bolder policies”.

Boldness has never been the hallmark of India’s foreign policy where caution and some say even timidity has been the order of the day. Are we entering another era of aggressive multi alignment and what would be the outcome of the same will be evident by the end of the week.

With the best interests of Indo US defence relations in mind the visit even if it does not achieve goals specified at the outset would be another forward step in bilateral engagement contributing to the larger strategic partnership.


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