Ahead of Modi visit, India-US push strategic alignment around co-development, co-production in defence

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, June 10

With less than a fortnight left for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, both sides will seek to wrap up the negotiations on the deal to make GE engines in India as well as attempt to push the intentions about cooperation in cutting edge areas into the implementation mode.

Applying a whole-of-government approach, talks are being held at various levels. The recent meeting between Principal Secretary to the PM P K Mishra with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was followed up with the India-US Strategic Trade Dialogue (IUSSTD) which was led on the Indian side by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra while the US delegation had in its ranks senior State Department official Victoria Nuland India who during two visits to India in just over one year had made it clear that India’s “60 years of entanglement’’ with Russia needs to end.

Given its modest defence budget for new purchases, India is looking more for technology and transfer rather than joint manufacturing, said sources. They termed the deal for GE engines as “extremely significant’’ but a “low-lying fruit’’ since the company is already a major supplier of engines for Tejas for over a decade and has put faith in the India story by setting up advanced manufacturing plants, especially the one in Pune which was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi.

The effort in all these high-level meetings, which follow up the Doval-Sullivan co-chaired Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology will be reviewed by the two NSAs during their interaction here next week, will seek to get clarity on the timescale for permissions from the US government to kick-start practical collaboration in semiconductors, space, artificial intelligence, 6G, high-performance computing and quantum technologies.  As is the case with GE engines, these areas are not just restricted to defence but have dual applications.

As far as off-the shelf purchases go, India is keen on buying US missile-enabled drones and joint manufacturing of munitions.

The conversation with India on technology transfer and defence hardware is part of American interaction with several countries in the Asia Pacific region. As Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, said the intention is to support US allies and partners in developing the capabilities to defend themselves by integrating the defense industrial bases and, engaging in co-production and co-development.

“One of the major thrusts is this ongoing US effort to support India’s military modernisation and the integration of our defense industrial bases, more co-production and co-development,’’ said Ratner at a briefing on Friday. He also visualised India attempting similar integration with Japan, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea.