Consecutive visits by the US and German defense ministers to India have raised questions about Washington and Berlin's calculations in defense cooperation with New Delhi.
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| US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on June 5. (Source: REUTERS) |
For a long time, the US and India have held military exercises every year to improve the interoperability of their forces. The two countries have also increased cooperation in developing and producing military equipment. Notably, the US has now surpassed Russia to become the largest arms supplier to India.
Although not as vibrant as the US-India relationship, German-Indian defense cooperation is also not without its share of content. The strategic significance of this relationship can be seen in the project of Berlin building six submarines for New Dehli worth 5.2 billion USD to help India expand its influence on the oceans.
Not stopping there, in the Indo-Pacific strategy, the US and Germany plan to elevate the defense relationship between Washington and Berlin with New Dehli to a new level. The first reason is that India is currently the leading strategic partner of the US and Germany in Asia.
However, the main objective of the US and Germany in their rapprochement with India is said to be aimed at China and Russia, countries that Washington and Berlin consider rivals. While the US criticized China for its “hegemonic ambitions”, Germany publicly stated that Berlin “has no interest in India’s continued dependence on Russian weapons”.
To further attract India, during this visit, the US and German Defense Ministers proposed many important military cooperation projects. For example, the US is ready to sell India 30 armed MQ-9B drones at a cost of more than 3 billion USD. As for Germany, it is the implementation of a submarine construction project for India.
Building a “soft” power alliance with India is what the US and Germany hope for. This is a gathering of forces to increase competitiveness in the global race.
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