President Joe Biden has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi for a State visit to the United States, highlighting the growing significance of bilateral and geopolitical relations between the two countries. This invitation also includes the opportunity for the Indian Prime Minister to address a joint session of the US Congress, further solidifying the importance of the relationship.
These recent developments indicate a few key points. First, the United States recognizes India’s increased value as a partner in its geopolitical strategy, particularly in light of the challenges posed by China. Despite the US strengthening its alliances in the western Pacific and the AUKUS compact, India continues to be seen as a crucial component of the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy.
Second, the US is taking a more pragmatic and accommodating stance regarding India’s relations with Russia, even in the face of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. Initially, the US pressured India to vote against Russia in the UN and urged a dilution of ties with Moscow, especially in the military realm. While India’s increased oil purchases from Russia at discounted prices have been a point of contention, India has stood firm in its national interest. Although the US may still be unhappy with India’s position, it now acknowledges that India cannot be expected to immediately sever its longstanding ties with Russia. Instead, the US recognizes that a gradual process is necessary, accompanied by incentives for India.
Third, despite criticism from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party on issues such as the persecution of minorities, particularly Muslims, the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), the ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), democratic backsliding, and restrictions on religious and press freedoms in India, bipartisan support for India in the US Congress remains intact. This explains the invitation for Modi to address the US Congress.
Fourth, various entities, including the mainstream US press, influential think tanks, opinion-shaping journals, segments of the academic community, human rights organizations, and NGOs, have been consistently critical of the Modi government’s record on democracy and minority issues, as well as India’s stance on Ukraine and Russia-related matters. The US State Department has also expressed concerns about human rights and religious freedom in India in its reports. Considering the close ties between the US administration, think tanks, media, and civil society, it is significant that the White House has taken these factors into account in its decision to extend a major political gesture to India through the State visit. The frequent meetings between Biden and Modi, as well as between Secretary Antony Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, have undoubtedly facilitated progress on areas of shared interest and the identification of common ground on differing issues.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan likely played a pivotal role in this gesture towards Modi from the White House. His joint chairing of a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, to launch the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) in Washington, D.C., with participation from the business communities of both countries was an unprecedented move. The ICET aims to promote India-US cooperation in key areas crucial for India’s technological advancement and its potential contributions to safeguarding US leadership in critical future technologies, especially in the face of the China challenge and the evolving distribution of power within the international system. The ICET encompasses domains such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum computing, advanced wireless communication, high-performance computing technology, and source code, among others. Sullivan is expected to visit India this week to finalize details concerning the outcome of Modi’s visit.
Defence Secretary Austin’s recent visit to India has undoubtedly refined certain aspects of the growing defense ties between India and the US in preparation for Prime Minister Modi’s visit. The main challenge lies in streamlining the US rules and regulations pertaining to defense technology to make them more user-friendly for India. During Austin’s visit, India emphasized the need to eliminate the stringent legislative and administrative hurdles in the US, in order to expedite technology cooperation and co-production in areas such as air combat, land mobility systems, intelligence sharing, surveillance, reconnaissance, and particularly in the underwater domain. Additionally, India seeks to enhance industry-to-industry cooperation. As a result, negotiations are set to commence on a Security of Supply Arrangement (SSA) and a Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreement (RDPA). It appears that an agreement on a set of specific proposals has been reached during Austin’s visit, which would grant India access to cutting-edge US technology.
It is worth mentioning that India was designated as a Major Defense Partner in 2016, subsequently receiving Strategic Trade Authorization tier 1 status in 2018, enabling license-free access to a wide range of military and dual-use technologies. India has also signed all the defense-related Foundational Agreements and the Industrial Security Annex in 2019, facilitating industry-to-industry cooperation. In May 2023, India and the US conducted the Inaugural India-US Advanced Domains Defense Dialogue, aiming to strengthen the partnership in emerging defense domains, particularly space and Artificial Intelligence.
While the US has claimed that India now holds the same status as a NATO country in terms of technology transfer, the reality is that navigating through the complex web of US laws and regulations still remains a challenge. Hence, new negotiations for the SSA and RDPA are required, and a new initiative called the India-US Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) has been launched to facilitate the transfer of cutting-edge technology. The US has granted clearance to General Electric Company to collaborate with India on the full transfer of GE F414-INS6 jet engine technology for India’s Tejas Mk II Light Combat Aircraft and AMCA Mk I. This represents a significant advancement, but it is yet unclear if the hot engine technology, which is the core technology, will also be transferred, not to mention the need for approval from the US Congress for the project.
