Our Geopolitical Problem with India

India. America and the S-400. Let’s begin: First the bad news… The S-400 is a Russian made anti aircraft system that is mounted on 8×8 highly mobile cross-country trucks called a Transporter Erector Launcher.

China has the fifth-generation J-20 fighter. With the S-400 to be deployed along the eastern border with China, the missile system can monitor and react to fighter jets taking off from airfields along the Tibetan plateau.

In 2017 Trump administration enacted the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) This put sanctions on countries engaging with Russia defense companies in any deals above $15 million. India will likely pay in euros to Russia-nominated bank to avoid

India requested a waiver and asked that its purchase of 5 S-400 systems, at a cost of 5 billion dollars, be grandfathered in. This creates problems for the US with our ally. It may inhibit U.S defense companies from selling to India such as the F-35 that would operate on the U.S equivalent platform using Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.

By combining the Russian S-400 with US military technology platform, there are new vulnerabilities.

Turkey, NATO ally, recently purchased the S-400 system to which a panel in Congress was convened to hear military concerns. The ability of the S-400 to collect data on both the F-35 and F-22 is a bigly concern.

For the S-400 to function in Turkey, it will have to be integrated into Turkey’s current “identification friend or foe” (IFF) systems, part of NATO’s military tactical data-link network, known as Link 16 = system would reveal real-time information about the US stealth system.

Once the F-35’s radar waveform has been identified, it will be possible to recreate fictitious signals of the F-35 so as to mask one’s own aircraft with this shape and prevent the enemy’s IFF systems from being able to distinguish between friend or foe. This the great news:

American national security is closely aligned with India, designating them a “major defense partner” in 2016. The U.S, as a diplomatic grace, in 2018, rechristened its Pacific Command as the Indo-Pacific Command and rewrote its National Security Strategy.

In September India signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA)a ten year agreement, effective immediately and one of four agreements that codified interoperability between our respective defense industries, militaries and sale of high-end technology.

India may now acquire encrypted communications used with the U.S technology platforms incorporated within our C-17, C-130 and P-8Is and allows for its customization. The only UNcompleted agreement is the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA). The completed are:

General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) in 2002 Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016. This is a part of a broader strategy to countervail China, it is vital, albeit India must also weigh the issues of proximity/joint agreements with China

India’s economy is about to eclipse the UK and its demographic profile is optimal to sustain economic growth. A democratic, multi-ethnic, multi-religious India is the greatest threat to China, it is the Democracy next door.

India purchased 22 AH-64E Apaches helicopters replacing the aged out Russian Mi-35s. This month India will announce its purchase of 24 multi-role helis, MH-60R Seahawks for +/-$2.5 billion.

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Wayne Creed

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