An Indian military veteran has expressed doubts about US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent comments regarding the transfer of critical weapons technology to India given that Washington has made such claims in the past as well, but nothing has ever materialized.
His comments came after Austin met with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh during his recent visit to New Delhi, where he vowed to offer state-of-the-art weapons technology to India.
"I can tell you that the US government is putting our full weight behind supporting India's defense modernization. I look forward to continuing to work with Minister Singh going forward," Austin said in a press conference in the Indian capital this week.
What would happen if the US started arm-twisting New Delhi after buying equipment from Washington?
Sputnik tried to find an answer with Major General (Retired) S P Sinha, who was critical of America's past record in this regard, repeatedly rebuffing India whenever New Delhi urged them to co-produce weapons, such as fighter jets under license in India.
"America has never been a reliable partner to us as we know and at the last minute, it is capable of ditching any country, including India. The DNA of any country does not change, though slight modifications can take place, but the DNA remains the same," the former Indian Army officer told Sputnik on Friday.
"Therefore, we have to carry out an in-depth analysis of what the US is offering - what are the risks involved, and does tying up with America suit India? If need be, we must have a counter plan in place to arm-twist America to ensure they fall in line," he emphasised.
US Does Not Want to Invest Heavily in India
Sinha pointed out that the US arms lobby was very keen to expand their operations in India and for that, they must be putting pressure on the Biden administration.
The Indian Army veteran noted that the United States knows that India places its friendship with Russia on a very high pedestal, and it will never ditch Moscow.
"So if New Delhi will never ditch Russia, then America does not want to invest heavily in India's defense sector because the Pentagon will always be skeptical or suspicious about our relationship with Russia," he stressed.
Unlike Russia or France, who have transferred sophisticated and modern weapons technology to New Delhi, including jointly manufacturing aircraft, submarines, missiles, and so forth, America has never tied up with defense firms to build arms, or equipment in India.
Another Indian Army veteran, ex-Major General Shashi Bhushan Asthana, told Sputnik that New Delhi wants to be self-sufficient, and it cannot become self-reliant unless it buys technology along with the equipment.
The Indian intention is to buy the equipment as well as technology or request the "Make in India" brand so that it becomes self-reliant. Additionally, India wishes to build up its residual capability, which means that during the advent of war, it should be able to boost production according to its needs.
This is in the context of a long war because, after the Ukraine conflict, in which NATO weapons and military have been vastly involved, India realized that war could be a lengthy, drawn-out undertaking as well.
"Now, [the] Americans also know that if they don't transfer technology then they will lose the competition and India may look to other manufacturers like Israel, and France," Asthana concluded.
Notably, India is the largest defense importer in the world, with an 11-percent share in global arms sales.
It is worth mentioning that more than 60% of its defense hardware is of Russian origin, with New Delhi previously preferring the Eurasian country's equipment over supplies from Western nations as Moscow was willing to share technology with it.
The Indo-Russian partnership has tasted immense success in the defense domain, with the two nations establishing multiple joint ventures and assembly lines.
Among the most prominent of them is Brahmos Airspace, the manufacturer of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile that currently forms the bulwark of India's conventional missile arsenal.
Among the most prominent of them is Brahmos Airspace, the manufacturer of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile that currently forms the bulwark of India's conventional missile arsenal.