Armed By America

Russia has traditionally been India’s biggest arms supplier, but the US is now challenging that dominance

- Pradip R. Sagar

BEFORE US SECRETARY of State Michael Pompeo met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 26, he called on National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at the latter's office in South Block. Pompeo had defence deals worth $25 billion on his mind.

Though Russia has traditionally been India's biggest arms supplier, the US is now challenging that hegemony. As per figures complied by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, India's defence purchases from the US have increased by a whopping 569 per cent from 2013 to 2018. India now buys 15 per cent of its defence equipment from the US. In the same time, defence imports from Russia came down to 58 per cent. In the 10 years prior, India had imported 76 per cent of its defence equipment from Russia.

Doval, who heads the Defence Planning Committee—the highest body that decides on military purchases—came down from his Raisina Hill office to personally receive Pompeo. Observers said it was a rare gesture from Doval, which indicated that the relationship between Delhi and Washington was going to be at an all-time high during Modi's second term.

In 2018 alone, Pentagon and the Indian military participated in five major war games and executed more than 50 other military exchanges. The maiden tri-services exercise is scheduled for the end of this year. Last year, India and the US signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) and further operationalised the 2016 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is also expected to be signed soon. The US had given India the status of major defence partner in 2016, and observers say America's role in India's defence matrix has grown significantly.