The US sees India's arms market as more important than Indo-US trade. That is why they have given more importance to the 'Tiger Triumph' campaign.
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The 'Howdy Modi' campaign was recently held in Houston, USA . As many as 50,000 American citizens of Indian descent from Houston attended the ceremony. This is the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the United States since he returned to power in the Lok Sabha elections. A decorated campaign titled 'Howdy Modi' was organised to welcome and health the would VISA rejection in the past. US President Donald Trump also raised eyebrows at the event. However, as witnessed by thousands of NRIs, the event was a testament to the strong bilateral ties between India and the United States.
United States to undergo presidential elections in the next year. It is from this perspective that Trump's presence at the ceremony should be looked at. Because the number of NRIs in the United States is significant. Therefore, it would be surprising if Trump does not raise political gain by attending this event with Modi's support. Meanwhile, the blaze also covered the soot of the recession that was spreading across the Indian economy, which also fell on the path of the Prime Minister. It is true that on the occasion of 'Howdy Modi', the Prime Minister brightened his image as a 'world leader' . It all happened for political gain. The ceremony had another kangaroo; That is the consensus reached between India and the US on the issue of defense!
Trump had given more importance to American, that is, indigenous use , in the presidential election . He urges Americans to buy only products made in the United States. Trump has consistently pursued this policy since coming to power. This loosened the limits set by American industries and gave them free rein to expand business opportunities. Trump also praised the US arms supply to India over the past decade. He said the United States alone had exported up to $18 billion worth of weapons to India over the decade .
Coinciding with trade policies and defense policies, Trump has hurt many allies, and Trump's announcement is a sign of a changing US policy . Earlier this year, trade relations between India and the United States were strained. Against this backdrop, Donald Trump's announcement of the 'Tiger Triumph' campaign is welcome. This is a picture of the US favoring India in defense relations, despite the bitterness in bilateral relations.
Explicit Expectations
There was speculation that a trade deal could be struck between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump during his visit to the US. Through these trade agreements , it was assumed that India would regain the status of 'First Preferred Country - GSP' (Generalized System of Preference) given to India. Earlier this year, the United States withdrew India's status amid tensions over trade with India. Since then, little has been done to improve trade relations between the two countries. The US imposed strict trade sanctions on India (tax on steel and aluminum goods). India also responded by imposing import duties on some US goods.
Experts were of the view that the 'Howdy Modi' program would make a big announcement in terms of trade relations after resolving these discriminatory trade terms. In Houston, however, neither Modi nor Trump uttered a word. Therefore , it was predicted that some developments would take place in the context of the UN General Assembly . Because this general meeting was to be held in New York.
Any such trade agreement between India and the US would be a welcome and important step for both the countries. Many results can be expected from this, such as reducing the additional import tax imposed by India on expensive phones like the Apple iPhone and American-made motorcycles like the Harley-Davidson and increasing the number of energy products imported from the US to India to cover trade deficits between the two countries . At the same time, however, the contentious issue - India's demand for control over the cost of U-shaped coronary stents and knee implants that can be placed in the arteries that supply blood to the heart - dropped by 85 per cent and 65 per cent, respectively .
The sudden announcement of the 'Tiger Triumph' campaign, while such expected differences continue in trade relations between India and the United States, shows that those advising the Trump administration on defense policy are well aware of India's defense needs. At present, India is one of the first arms importers in the world . The Trump administration has continued the policy of previous governments in this regard.
The period of increasing power gap between India and the US
There is no defense pact between India and the United States, so the United States does not have a definite policy plan on how to strengthen defense ties with countries other than the countries with which the United States has a pact or other countries with which the United States is a member. . In this situation, if India and the United States want to strengthen or establish a defense relationship, they need to have a common vision of the current power gap - a real test for the political leadership of both countries. If the leaders of the two countries reach a consensus in this regard, all further avenues will be easier.
The United States, which focuses on the Indo-Pacific region , insists that the region should be free and open - because both countries in the region have stability on all sides - without understanding why. Why is curious, can not understand. On India's side, the Modi government has changed India's preconceived notion of 'strategic autonomy' to 'strategic integration' - a goal that can be achieved by strengthening partnerships rather than avoiding them.
This shift in political will between India and the United States became more pronounced during the last term of the Obama administration and the beginning of the Modi government. In 2016, India and the United States signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). It set out the terms, conditions and procedures for logistical support, logistics and services to the Indian and US forces .The subsequent Trump administration linked the former administration's efforts to strengthening the defense ties with India, focusing on the growing power gap between the two countries. Meanwhile, the Modi government also responded. For example, in the first year of the Trump administration, India and the United States signed the second US-India Defense Interoperability Agreement - Communication Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). The agreement allows India to receive advanced defense equipment from the United States, allowing India to use existing Native American platforms.
Over the next year, US and Indian officials are said to be working together to create geopolitical maps by rectifying the flaws in the US-India Interoperability Agreement - the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) .
The pace of these developments is encouraging the institutionalization of the Indo-US defense agreement. The agreements are being pursued to create a good platform for joint exercises between the three armies of India and the US in November, address technical issues like geopolitical maps, and provide timely guidance to the units participating in the exercises.
Preference for furnishings
Very recently last week, India and the United States completed a two-week 15th war exercise - the largest joint military exercise between India and the United States. The military forces of the two countries who participated in the study were able to understand each other's modus operandi as well as the nature of each other's military institutions and the hierarchy of their powers. This could be used to help the Armed Forces of both India and the United States to play a bigger and more important role in any crisis that arises anywhere in the world. Remarkably, this joint exercise of war study is important for India and the United States. More than any other country, India has participated in war games, joint exercises, plateau war games, etc. with the United States.It includes annual study exercises of more than 50 co-operative principles of all the three armies.
Defense relations between India and the United States are nurtured on the two broad bases of defense and equity. India is the only country in the Indian subcontinent that can export more and more goods, with the intention of increasing its capacity. Mutual trust is enhanced through arms supplies and is used to work together in the Indo-Pacific region.
The main objective of the Indo-US joint military exercise is to push India further into the Indo-Pacific Ocean . The joint exercise of the Indian and US Air Forces in the same area in December, 2018 should be a good example of this. In 2009, a similar joint exercise lasted for 12 days. The exercise took place from two Air Force bases at Kalanikunda in Midnapore and Arjan Singh in Pangarh. Both the Air Force bases are in West Bengal. These two bases are not far from the tension that arose between India and China in 2017 (Doklama issue) . It is noteworthy that this joint exercise held in 2009 was named 'Cope India 2019' .
Similarly, the joint military exercise of the three armies of the victorious countries has been aptly named 'Tiger Triumph'. The fun is that there are no tigers in Yellowstone National Park.
Thus, discussions on trade relations between India and the United States are likely to stall, as expected, due to long-pending differences, as the Trump administration does not seem to have much interest in them. He thinks India's arms market is more important than that and that is why he gave more importance to the 'Tiger Triumph' campaign. The campaign is also being seen as a reflection of the current strained relations between India and the United States.
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