Indian Military

WASHINGTON: Top men leading India's fighting arm and its defense policy engaged with their American counterparts here this week as New Delhi and Washington drew closer in a strategic clinch while trying not to alarm China and Pakistan, which are seen by the democratic duo as posing complex challenges in the neighborhood and beyond.
U.S and Indian officials were circumspect in describing low-key Defense Policy Group (DPG) meetings early in the week, an engagement that was closely followed by talks between the Indian Army Chief V K Singh and his U.S counterpart Gen. George Casey.
In a statement that was largely anodyne but contained much between the lines, they spoke of an "extensive discussion on further strengthening bilateral defense ties, under the auspices of the Defence Framework Agreement of 2005," an informal but controversial Bush-era pact that promised unprecedented strategic partnership between Washington and New Delhi but had been sidelines in recent times.

[Stratpost]

The Indian Defense Minister AK Antony, on Monday, agreed to provide three aircraft to Seychelles on its request. An Indian Ministry of Defense statement said, “On a specific request from the Seychelles, Mr. Antony agreed to provide one new Dornier and two Chetak helicopters from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for maritime surveillance, at the earliest.” The statement quoted him as saying that although delivery would normally take 18 to 24 months, New Delhi would try to provide the aircraft in 15 months. In the meantime, India is to provide an in-service Dornier Aircraft to carry out maritime surveillance. This comes after Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh committed $ 5 million assistance to Seychelles for defense-related projects during the visit of Seychellois President James Alix Michel to India earlier.

Antony met President Michel, Vice President Danny Faure, the Minister for Home Affairs Joel Morgan and Foreign Minister Jean Paul Adam in Mahe, while leading a delegation comprising Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar and the Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral DK Dewan.

[Stratpost]

Six major western industry associations have written to the Indian Ministry of Defense asking for measures to ease their prospects for commerce in defense equipment. They say in their letter, “The current offset policies have effectively hindered our member companies’ ability to play a full role in supporting India’s defense, security and economic needs,” adding that, “These and other challenges presented by the current offset policy have often precluded our member companies from responding to a Request for Proposal. Our member companies have lost out on potential programs, while the MoD (Ministry of Defense) may not be able to benefit from the best technology solution at the best price.”

The letter was jointly written by the ADS (Aerospace, Defense and Security), a British association of defense and aerospace companies, AIA (Aerospace Industries Association), a US body, AIAC (Aerospace Industries Association of Canada), BDLI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft und Raumfahrtindustrie -German Aerospace Industries Association), GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Fran̤aises A̩ronautiques et Spatiales РGrouping of French Aerospace Industries) and USIBC (US India Business Council) and addressed to Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony, Minister of State for Defense Mallipudi Mangapati Pallam Raju, Defense Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Secretary for Defense Production Raj Kumar Singh.