American Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will visit India from March 19 to 21 and meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders as part of his maiden visit abroad. Austin will also visit Japan, South Korea and the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. The Pentagon said that the visit would reinforce the US’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

Within minutes of entering the Oval Office for the first time on January 20, President Biden carried out a blitz by signing 17 executive orders.  Next day, he signed an additional 10 orders related to the coronavirus pandemic. These orders reversed a number of the Trump administration policies and covered areas Biden identified as his priorities on the campaign trail. Naturally, the question was being asked whether Biden would also reverse some of Trump’s policies towards India?

In this regard, the remarks made two days after Biden’s inauguration by Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary were intended to clear any misgivings. In response to a question at a news briefing, she said: %u201CPresident Biden, who of course has visited India many times, respects and values the long, bipartisan, successful relationship between leaders in India and the United States. He looks forward to a continuation of that.%u201D Two days ago on Tuesday March 9, Psaki said that Biden has made the forthcoming Quad summit on Friday March 12 one of his earliest multilateral engagements, and that it shows the importance which the US is giving to closer cooperation with its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.  

The Biden Administration has sent many clear signals that it will seek to strengthen Indo-US relations; no doubt, China’s territorial and economic expansionism is serving as a catalyst in this regard. Institutional linkages such as through Quad and the 2+2 dialogue will also be further cemented. Already, within a month of the Biden Administration taking over, the new US Secretary of State Tony Blinken held a virtual meeting with his Quad counterparts on February 18. Now, the Quad will have its first-ever summit level meeting on Friday March 12. While this will be a virtual summit, there is already talk of an in-person meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 summit from 11-13 June 2021.  

Also read: Quad all set to touch new heights with Friday summit

It is also useful to recall that US Defence Secretary Austin had stated unequivocally during his Senate confirmation hearing on January 19 that “If confirmed, my overarching objective for our defense relationship with India would be to continue elevating the partnership”. The fact that India is figuring in the list of countries during his first visit abroad shows that he is translating his commitment into action. Working closely with India has become an important aspect of US foreign policy, and it will not be in US interests to undo the closeness in the present global scenario.  

However, another aspect of Defence Secretary Austin’s visit should not be overlooked. Hidden behind the rhetoric is the fact that the Pentagon sees India as a potential purchaser of advanced weapons systems and this makes it even more necessary for Biden to seek a closer relationship with the Indian political establishment. The on-going India-China standoff at the LAC continues to be seen by the US as a great opportunity to sell weapons and other defence-related items which India needs to acquire at such a difficult time.

US media reports made no secret of the fact that during the 2+2 dialogue in October 2020, Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper had tried to push India to purchase MQ-9 Reaper drones. Amidst all the din during the Trump Administration about the US standing alongside India to ward off the Chinese threat, there was an unmistakable sales pitch that was clear as daylight. From the beginning, Trump had made arms sales a central component of his foreign policy. It cannot be doubted that the Biden Administration will also push for arms-sales to India, and that Defence Secretary Austin will undoubtedly see this as a priority item on his agenda during his visit.

During the October 2+2 dialogue , an agreement for the purchase of the MQ-9 Reaper could not be reached. Given the importance of drones in warfare, there were indications  that India would go in for substantial purchases of this military hardware from the US or from some other source. Naturally, there was not going to be any let up in US efforts to clinch the deal.

Now, US efforts seem to be succeeding. Bloomberg News reported two days back on March 9 that “according to officials with knowledge of the matter,” India plans to buy 30 armed drones from the U.S. to boost its sea and land defenses as tensions persist with China and Pakistan. According to the Bloomberg report, “the MQ-9B drone can fly for about 48 hours and carry a payload of about 1,700 kilograms (3,700 pounds). It will give the Indian Navy the ability to better monitor Chinese warships in the southern Indian Ocean, and equip the army to engage targets along the disputed India-Pakistan border in the Himalayas”. The report adds that the deal is valued at $3 billion. It is expected that the US Defence Secretary will try to have the deal finalised and officially announced during his visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi%u2019s ambitious $250 billion plan to modernize India%u2019s military has surely caught the eye of US defence manufacturers, and they will push for a closer Indo-US political relationship which is a prerequisite for arms deals. Karl Kaltenthaler, a professor at the University of Akron who is a well-known security and defence analyst has stated thus: “For a customer like India, we get a strategic bang for our buck and at the same time we get the economic benefits,” adding, ” “This is a good story in that we’re keeping American jobs, we’re sticking it to China.”  

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