Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Only US can help India' that was published in Newsband

Only US can help India

The three-day visit of U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter appears to fit into a new security paradigm that is unfurling under the Narendra Modi government. By agreeing to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), India has sent out a clear signal that it has no inhibitions about being bound in strategic engagements with the U.S. This would qualitatively transform India’s relations with the U.S.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Mr. Carter have agreed to expand collaboration under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative, infuse greater complexity in their military engagements and maritime exercises, commence discussions on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare, and initiate a bilateral maritime security dialogue that would include diplomats and the defence establishments.

To Know USA and their defense regime is bit complex scenario for Indian intellectual. Hence what India need is a team of specialized people with extraordinary instincts, people with vision and full understanding of US defense physiology and their psychology.

The biggest threat for India is China. The only country that can help and has technology is US, plus you have 3 million strong Indian Americans backing India. India is obviously behind in military technology as compared to the US. And Russia is a third world country that is selling technology to the Chinese.

Pick sides that will help you; going both ways for the last 70 years and being non aligned has not helped. Selling 16 F-16's to the Paki's is nothing, the US is trying to manage them from the Chinese influence. If India supports US wholeheartedly, US will never find the need of Pakistan.

In whatever way India would like to seek collaboration with the USA the fundamental preoccupation should be with India standing on her own strength. The foreign and international politics of the USA will always, for the foreseeable future, depend on what it calls its "national security".

It is true that US has huge advantage in using Indian military base. US is trying to gain access to our bases to overpower China in case any unforeseen war breaks out in future. That is good for India. Only, instead of gaining access to their bases in reciprocity, we should ask them to abandon their military support to Pakistan.

With the defence agreement, India is not falling into any kind of trap. The increase in military co-operation sounds warning signals to all South Asia as China is taking all steps to control by having a close pact with Pakistan. India can turn to nobody else but US to protect them against two major rivals viz. China and Pakistan. Russia will never help India when it comes to negotiating China simply because Russia considers China as his brother.  

India has the same intention which US harbours and that is to completely surround China, in both land and sea. India is strong enough with a near equal population compared to China, and were we to develop scientifically and technologically with the help of US, there is no reason for us to feel ‘insecure’ as the present day leaders think.