India’s Strategic Autonomy: Choosing Partners, Not Sides |

Since 2009, India and the United States have developed a significant defense partnership through numerous high-value arms purchases, foundational defense agreements, and joint military exercises:

Major Defence Purchases

C-17 Globemaster III (2011): India purchased 10 C-17 transport aircraft to enhance strategic airlift capacity.
P-8I Poseidon (2013): India acquired 12 P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to strengthen anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
Apache AH-64E and Chinook CH-47F (2015 & 2019): Contracts for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook transport helicopters were signed to modernize the Indian Air Force.
M777 Howitzers (2016): India bought 145 M777 ultra-light howitzers to improve its artillery, particularly along mountainous borders.
MH-60 Romeo Helicopters (2020): India ordered 24 MH-60R helicopters for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine roles.
Predator Drones (2024): India recently approved the purchase of 31 MQ-9B Predator drones to enhance surveillance capabilities.

Key Defence Agreements include:

Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA, 2016): Enables mutual logistical support between military bases.
Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA, 2018): Allows encrypted communications during joint operations.
Industrial Security Annex (ISA, 2019): Ensures classified defense technology exchange.
Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA, 2020): Facilitates sharing of geospatial intelligence to enhance missile and target accuracy.

The two nations have also conducted several joint military exercises including Yudh Abhyas, Vajra Prahar and Malabar Exercise.

These deals, agreements, and exercises highlight a growing India-U.S. strategic partnership aimed at bolstering India’s military capabilities, strengthening interoperability, and addressing mutual security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia has traditionally been India's oldest and most trusted partner in defence equipment.

India, despite doing business with US, remains cautious and selective due to several reasons:

1. Reliability and Consistency Concerns

U.S. Policy Shifts: The U.S. has shown unpredictability in foreign policy, influenced by shifting administrations and domestic priorities. India, as a non-aligned country, prefers stable partners and avoids over-reliance on any single country.

Sanctions History: India remembers the U.S. sanctions after the 1998 nuclear tests, which impacted its defense capabilities and autonomy. While relations have improved, India is mindful of U.S. policies, such as the CAATSA sanctions, that could restrict its defense transactions with Russia.

2. Technology Sharing and Indigenous Development

While the U.S. has increasingly shared high-tech defense equipment and intelligence with India, certain areas remain off-limits. India seeks to develop indigenous defense capabilities and tends to partner where it can gain technology transfers and co-development rights, areas where the U.S. can be restrictive compared to Russia.

The U.S. continues to exercise controls over certain technologies that India needs for advanced platforms like nuclear submarines, an area where Russia has been more accommodating.

Strategic Autonomy

India’s principle of strategic autonomy allows it to pursue partnerships with diverse countries without being tied to one bloc. Engaging both Russia and the U.S. helps India avoid over-dependency, preserves its independence, and leverages better deals from both sides.

With Russia, India has a trusted history of cooperation, especially for sensitive technology, and Russian equipment forms a significant portion of India’s defense inventory. This diversification is important, especially as India values a strong, multi-polar Asia.

Trust through Collaboration, Not Dependence

India’s evolving partnership with the U.S. shows a level of trust but is framed as a partnership of mutual interest rather than full dependence. This is reflected in joint exercises, maritime collaborations in the Indo-Pacific, and intelligence-sharing, where there is a growing alignment but with careful consideration of India’s broader strategic goals.

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