[This is an excerpt from a story based on ‘Indo-US military Relations: Expectations and Perceptions,’ a US defence department-commissioned study, that is in possession of rediff.com. Written by Josy Joseph, New Delhi, it was covered in six parts as a Rediff Special feature from 21-26 April, 2003. It exposes the shameful desperation of Indian policy makers to curry favour with the US as well as the contempt and condescension with which the US views India.]
THE report states that the US wants access to Indian bases and military infrastructure with the United States Air Force specifically desiring the establishment of airbases in India.
It has quoted US lieutenant generals as saying that the access to India bases would enable the US military ‘to be able to touch the rest of the world’ and to ‘respond rapidly to regional crises’.
A South Asia Foreign Area Officer of the US state department… says, "The United States needs to develop alternatives in Asia. India is the optimal choice if we can overcome the obstacles in building the relationship."
A common theme among high-ranking American officers is that the US military would benefit from training with Indians on Indian territory. "India has a variety of landscapes, from ice-clad mountains to deserts, and it would help the Americans because military training ranges shrinking and becoming increasingly controversial in the United States," the report says.
If the Americans were to enjoy access to Indian military bases, what will India expect in return?
A senior Indian policy maker summed up: "If the United States is willing to share dual use technologies, then it suggests that the United States regards India as a partner that shares strategic concerns and burdens. If the United States denies access to dual use technology, then it gives the impression that India is not accepted or trusted."
Whereas US decision-makers say, "The Indian military is feeling its weakness especially after witnessing the US capabilities in Afghanistan. Indian air power and C2 (Command and Control) are so limited that the Indian Air Force was surprised by capabilities that the US military takes for granted, such as airlift capacity."
Across board American policy makers express a preference for Pakistanis and believe that Indians ‘cannot think strategically’. ‘Symbolic gestures’ have significant impact on Indo-US relations, the Americans believe.
A US Colonel who has spent several years in India summed up, "For the Indians, the act is much more important than the substance; the theory is more important than execution; and the tactic is more important than strategy."
Indians resent the fact that ‘Americans have failed to acknowledge, until 9/11, Pakistan-sponsored, cross-border terrorism in Kashmir’…. Other than Pakistan, major reasons for India’s distrust of the US include the fact that Uncle Sam is not a reliable partner or supplier. "The Indians see Americans as quick to entice and then dismiss strategic partners when US strategic interests change," the report says.
And an Indian Admiral explains this in terms of ‘Indian culture’: "The United States is a rational society that is driven by self-interest. Even at a personal level, Americans have few permanent relationships. Americans act independently, sever family ties, and shift personal relationships with little reservation. This is foreign to Indian sensibilities. In contrast to America’s rational approach, Indians follow a traditional approach in all aspects of life, and place high value on loyalty, commitment, and long-term relationships, including extended family relationships." (No mention here of why the Indian establishment is so keen to betray its longstanding commitment to non-alignment and solidarity with Palestine and rush into opportunist alliances with Israel and the US! – Ed.)
The report reveals that Indian policymakers are not sure of America’s strategic vision ‘in India’s part of the world’, and on where India fits in this vision, yet they still want the US to accept them as partners because they feel the US is world’s sole superpower and the world would remain unipolar for many more decades. "For this reason, military officers, in particular, believe that India must engage the US military," the report adds.
The report observes that Indian military officers warn that Indian intellectuals view any relation with US as ‘colonialism through the back door’, and so a stronger Indo-US military relation could set off strong political dissent within India.
Many decision-makers quoted in the report stress that for the military relations to swing up, a strong economic relationship is most important.
An American policymaker pointed out that India cannot act like France, described as one of America’s most defiant partners in the report. As a result of its deep economic ties with the United States, France, the report says, ‘carries political clout that sustains the strategic relationship, even when the French outwardly defy the United States.’ (The message is implied – India lacks economic clout and so cannot dare to defy the US! – Ed.)
The US is full of praise for the BJP which they feel was a ‘crucial factor in creating the conditions for a new relationship’ between India and the US. The US is particularly appreciative of current Finance Minister and then external affairs and defence minister Jaswant Singh.
By 9/11, the growing Indo-US relations were visible, when India offered in public all assistance to the US. It is another matter that the Americans did not take up the offer and disappointed India. But the Indian offer itself was a marked departure from 1991, when India clandestinely allowed US planes to refuel in Mumbai during the first Gulf War, but stopped it when the assistance became public, according to the report.
A high-ranking American admiral says, "The navy may be the easiest service
to move forward with cooperation because the US Navy leaves no footprints in
India. Exercises are conducted out of sight, with no US troops on the ground
in India", thus political dissent can be minimized. As it is, after 9/11
the US Navy is being given "full access" to Indian territory, which
used to be denied previously.