UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 29th March 2025
U.S. Defence Ties – India Must Safeguard Its Strategic Autonomy
Why in News?
As India deepens its defence ties with the United States, it must remain vigilant to avoid strategic dependency. With increasing reliance on U.S.-made defence technologies and shifting geopolitical dynamics, India must balance partnerships with autonomy, especially in light of historical precedents and America’s transactional foreign policy under Trump 2.0.
Key Issues in India–U.S. Defence Relations
- Import Dependency Persists
- As per SIPRI, India remains the second-largest arms importer globally (2020–24).
- Though imports fell by 9.3% from 2015–19, big-ticket items like aircraft, radars, and missiles will continue to be imported for years.
- India’s push for Aatmanirbhar Bharat has not yet resolved critical production bottlenecks, especially in the Indian Air Force (IAF) fleet.
- U.S.-Made Engines for Indigenous Jets
- The IAF’s future rests on indigenous fighter programs — Tejas Mk1A, Tejas Mk2, and AMCA — but all are powered by American engines.
- This could make India’s air superiority dependent on U.S. strategic calculations, limiting India’s operational autonomy if ties sour.
- Short Shelf-Life of U.S. Initiatives
- Past Indo-U.S. frameworks like the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) have yielded limited results.
- Recent agreements like the ‘Major Defence Partnership for the 21st Century’ risk suffering the same fate under a transactional Trump administration.
Key Concepts
Strategic Autonomy
- India’s ability to make independent defence and foreign policy decisions without being overly reliant on any one nation.
- A foundational pillar of Indian diplomacy since the Cold War era, still crucial in the age of multi-alignment.
Partnership vs. Dependency
- Real strategic partnerships must be based on mutual indispensability, not one-sided reliance.
- As per U.S. defence scholars, a true partnership means both parties can:
- Be equals or interchangeable,
- Divide tasks effectively,
- Complement each other’s gaps.
- Current India-U.S. defence ties reflect asymmetry — especially in R&D and manufacturing — risking a dependency trap.
Broader Strategic Reflections
India’s Other Defence Ties
- Similar dependency concerns exist in India’s relationships with Russia, Israel, and France.
- India’s arsenal is still 36% Russian (e.g., Su-30 jets, S-400 missiles).
- The Russia–Ukraine war and U.S. sanctions regimes may force India to diversify defence sources further.
What Makes a Partner ‘Indispensable’?
- A country becomes geopolitically indispensable when:
- It influences global supply chains,
- Provides irreplaceable tech/military support,
- Or carries political leverage in critical theatres.
- If India is not seen as indispensable by the U.S., it risks being dropped when priorities shift — just as Pakistan was.
Looking Ahead: Key Recommendations
- India must ‘insure’ itself:
- Every strategic defence decision must account for possible U.S. policy reversals.
- Relying too heavily on any one partner could jeopardize India’s military readiness in critical moments.
- India needs parallel investment in:
- Indigenous R&D capacity,
- Supply chain resilience,
- Technological independence, even within cooperative frameworks.
- U.S. must do more to build real trust:
- If Washington seeks a genuine partnership, it must treat India as politically indispensable, not just a regional ally of convenience.
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