In a strong endorsement of US-India military ties, President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that the United States will expand the sale of defense equipment to India from 2025. This is in addition to intentions to ultimately offer advanced F-35 fighter aircraft to India, marking a key stride in advancing the military cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump underscored that the U.S. was going to augment its military sales to India by billions of dollars in the coming years. There was no indication of when exactly the F-35 jets would be delivered, but Trump confirmed that the U.S. was committed to augmenting India’s defense capabilities using advanced technology.
Foreign arms sales such as the F-35 transaction would normally entail protracted negotiations and a government-to-government interface, with the Pentagon brokered by the transaction. Trump’s declaration, though, was greeted warily by Indian officials, with India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri observing that the process of buying such cutting-edge aviation platforms had not yet officially started. Misri explained that the F-35 is as yet at the proposal stage and has not proceeded in India’s defense procurement pipeline.
American defense contractor Lockheed Martin, maker of the F-35, said talks about the possible sale of those planes would have to be conducted directly between the U.S. and Indian governments.
Trump also said that India will start importing more of America’s oil and gas in a bid to lower the trade deficit between the two nations. All this is in a bid to boost economic relations between the two countries, which have experienced growth in defense trade over the years. India has pledged to buy more than $20 billion worth of U.S. defense equipment since 2008.
India has long depended heavily on Russia as its primary arms supplier, but more recently turned to the U.S. so far as defense technology is concerned. This has been mainly a result of the geopolitical dynamics arising out of the war in Ukraine, which have influenced Russia’s capacity for exporting weaponry.
Trump’s remarks are an indicator of the widening defense ties between India and America, a new trend in world military alliances as India continues to modernize its military to deal with regional security challenges.
