Pentagon Seeks Ways to Make India a Big Buyer of U.S. SystemsNovember 04, 2011

 

In a congressionally mandated report titled "Report to Congress on U.S.-India Security Cooperation," the Pentagon notes that it remains committed to supplying India with its most technologically advanced systems, a clear signal of the South Asian country's growing purchasing power and importance in the region's geo-politics.

According to the report, the U.S. has sold about $6 billion in weapons over the past decade after having zero sales for decades. India has purchased more than 20 defense items or services since 2002, including the C-130J aircraft, which is the first U.S. military aircraft delivered to India in half a century.

Still, India is not buying U.S. weapons alone. Recently, the country decided to buy fighter jets from Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon despite personal lobbying from President Barack Obama. The U.S. hoped to sell F-16 and F-18 jets. The Pentagon says, however, that the two nations are still studying how they could better accommodate each other.

"The United States and India continue to seek ways to educate each other on our respective procurement and acquisition systems to enable further compatibility," the report notes. "We are working to find ways to adopt processes that will improve efficiency and make it easier for us to cooperate on defense trade."

The Pentagon hopes to establish itself as a key defense supplier to India over the next five years as India continues its military modernization.  The Pentagon has enlisted the Departments of State and Commerce to advocate for the sale of U.S. systems for Indian defense.

In a clear sign of just how important the Indian defense market is, the Pentagon said it is looking for ways to develop deeper defense industrial cooperation with India, including a range of cooperative research and development activities.

"We are seeking opportunities for increased science and technology cooperation that may lead to co-development opportunities with India as a partner," the report states. Should India be interested in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the Pentagon said it is prepared to provide information on the JSF. "In so doing, we have signaled our unambiguous intent to pursue cooperative opportunities on increasingly sophisticated systems. As our relationship continues to mature, we expect co-development of armaments to become a reality."