Defense and State Department are not fully convinced in this issue.
Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) have strongly pushed for selling guardian drones to India which “is going to be the next great thing of defense collaboration between both countries, PTI reported.
Warner and Sullivan, on Thursday, affirmed that Obama administration’s decision to designate India as a major defense partner is a significant step forward in taking the US-India relationship to the next level.
Warner, who is Co-Chair of the Senate India caucus and Ranking member of powerful Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, expressed his frustration with the Defense and State Department stand as they are not fully convinced in this issue.
“I have been frustrated with the Defense and State Department in terms of the sale of guardian drones. This is going to be the next great thing of defense collaboration,” Warner said, the news agency reported.
He also expressed his disappointment over what he said India’s inability to absorb the requirement of 30 per cent offset.
India has requested unarmed Guardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) to improve the country’s maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean region.
Warner opined that Major Defense Partnership will move India to the category of non-NATO type ally and it “is a great step in the right direction.”
“Actually this status (Major Defense Partnership) is unique to India. The idea is to actually institutionalize (the relationship),” the news agency quoted Sullivan. He was speaking at Widrow Wilson Center, a US-based think tank.
Sullivan argued for US’s proposal to perform joint military operations with India in Pakistan’s terrorist centers, which India has already shown reluctance.
“I believe we can have strong relationship with both countries particularly in the area of international terrorism,” the Republican senator said.
Warner also responded to a question on Pakistan and said that while India and the US have a very strong relationship between the intelligence communities, there is enormous concern not only about Pakistan’s role in turbulent Kashmir, but also the terrorist organizations from Pakistan.
“I want to send a strong message that Pakistani can’t play” both ways, supporting one group of terrorist on hand and taking action against the others,” he added.