Posted on 11/19/2007 4:27:35 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Since ‘war on terror,’ Pakistan imported more arms from US than previous 50 yrs
New Delhi, November 17:It's well-known how high the stakes are for the United States in Pakistan amid the political crisis and the violence in the Waziristan region but for the first time, there are numbers to show how heavily Washington has invested in Islamabad: the total value of Pakistan’s arms purchase from the US since the war on terror began in 2001 is almost 20% more than the that of the previous 50 years put together.
This startling data figures in a report prepared for the US Congress last week based on a study by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) and raises concerns that the aid Pakistan receives from US under the “war on terror” package may be more suitable for gaining conventional advantage over India.
In fact, last year alone, the value of imports was $3.49 billion — the value of total imports from 1950 to 2001 was $3.63 billion.
“The rise of Pakistan to its new status as a major arms purchaser from the United States is particularly noteworthy given the difficulties the United States has had with Pakistan since the 1970s over its successful effort to produce nuclear weapons,” the report notes.
Analysts say that the report gives voice to a growing concern in Washington over increasing arms exports to the troubled country.
More importantly, the report — it was prepared days after Emergency was declared in Pakistan and is directed at giving US lawmakers vital background on key issues — emphasises that US law gives the President the power to terminate arms sales to the country at any point.
“The report notes that US law gives the President the power to terminate arms sales at any point, a particularly timely observation in light of growing Congressional discontent with arms sales and military aid for Pakistan,” Matt Schroeder, who heads the Arms Sales Monitoring Project of the Federation of American Scientist (FAS), told The Sunday Express in an email interview.
The report notes that while the main reason for the huge leap is the $1.4-billion deal to purchase 36 F-16 fighters, other major deals include 115 Self-Propelled 155-mm Howitzers, a possible cause for worry to India as it is already decades behind in its artillery modernisation plan.
Other big-ticket agreements include six C-130 military transport aircraft, surveillance radars, military radios, and interestingly over 2000 TOW anti-tank missiles, 100 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, three Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning systems and an equal number of maritime patrol aircraft.
“The Department of Defence has characterised F-16 fighters, P-3C patrol aircraft, and anti-armor missiles as having significant anti-terrorism applications, claims that elicit skepticism from some analysts,” says another recent CRS report on US-Pakistan relations.
While earlier this week, Switzerland became the first country to post restrictions on Pakistan due to the Emergency (it blocked the $121-million Skyguard air defence system contract), a move is also on in the US to “condition” military sales to Islamabad.
“Comments by Senator Joe Biden, the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee , suggest that he might move to postpone or cancel the F-16 sale if democracy is not restored in Pakistan, but it is too soon to tell if events will progress to that point,” says Schroeder.
Biden issued a hard-hitting paper for a “new approach” on Pakistan last week in wake of the Emergency in which he emphasized that a conditioning security aid would help “push the Pakistani military to finally crush Al Qaeda and the Taliban.”
Blowback!
Has India any desire to import more weapons from the United States? The only items on the list that struck me as over and above for fighting islamic-fascists were the TOW and Harpoon missiles.
Aren’t these F-16s from also a release from the original buy that got turned off when Pakistan went nuclear?
The Pakis will get 28 used F-16s(upgraded though)-which was the same number which they ordered but got blocked in 1991.I believe that they have taken delivery of 2 already.They have ordered 18 newly built Block 52 variants with conformal fuel tanks-with options for another 18.
Actually most of them are more useful for fighting India than terrorists.Their Hawkeye AEW & P-3 Orions will have a significant role against the Indian navy-Pakistan would be foolish if they didn’t use it that way.Their new F-16s will have conformal fuel tanks in addition to 500 AMRAAM missiles.You don’t need those to kill Bin Laden,right??Same goes for the Harpoon Block-2s-they are even getting 50 sub-launched variants of that weapon.
About India-well as far I see,the things on it’s possible wishlist would be more C-130Js,helicopters & other systems for it’s special forces & submarine rescue systems.
I concur, and I think its stupid for us to give these to the Pakistanis. It certainly hurts our relationship with India not to mention that they technology will likely go straight to China.
“Has India any desire to import more weapons from the United States?”
Yes.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920985/posts
India to fork out $1b to US for 6 Hercules planes
NEW DELHI: In what will be the biggest defence deal with US till now, India is now firmly moving ahead to seal the contract for acquiring six C-130J ‘Super Hercules’ military transport planes for “special operations” at a cost of around $1 billion.
Defence ministry sources said the FMS (foreign military sale) contract — a government-to-government arrangement — for the C-130Js will be concluded “soon” since it had been catered for in the ongoing defence budget. “We are closely studying the offer after the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency notified the American Congress in May. The contract will be signed within this fiscal,” said a source.
While the Left has managed to stymie the civilian nuclear deal, the UPA government has signalled that the Indo-US defence cooperation will continue unhindered despite opposition from CPM and CPI.
As earlier reported by TOI, the Indian and American armed forces have held as many as 50 joint military exercises in the last six-seven years to build “interoperability”. In sharp contrast, India has held just a handful of exercises with Russia, the largest defence supplier to Indian armed forces by far.
And now, the US is aggressively trying to grab a huge chunk of the lucrative defence market in India. Talking about the impending C-130J sale to India, US said it will strengthen the bilateral “strategic relationship”, which continues to be “an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress” in South Asia.
On their part, IAF officers say the C-130Js, the latest version of Hercules with four powerful engines and greater payload-carrying capacity, will enhance India’s rapid reaction capabilities.
The aircraft, which can even land on makeshift airstrips due to its rugged nature, will be used primarily for covert airlift missions for special forces. India has requested four Rolls Royce AE-2100D3 spare engines, eight AAR-47 missile warning systems, eight AN/ALR-56M advanced radar warning receivers among other equipment.
Now can you still deny US isn't playing Pakistan against India, India against China ....and so on? Or you still believe America can do no wrong? ......Or maybe somehow its India's fault.
Yes, we want Pakistan to control all of South Asia, because it is such a hospitable fun-loving country. We have also kept India poor and built up China as the result of a side-bet that Johnson lost to Nixon during a poker game. Its really quite easy.
We also are responsible for the typhoon that just hit Bangladesh. Just a twist of the knob or two on the Secret Weather Control Machine and presto. In comparison, installing the governments of our choice throughout the world is just child's play.
Anything else that you would like me confirm for you while I’m on a role?
Your emotional responses are truly juvenile.
No, I'm pretty sure he's right on, if I recall my "Secrets of World Domination by the U.S." class in high school.
Look, the bottom line is this--Pakistan is a very important ally in the War on Terror due to their physical and cultural geography. India is not located where Pakistan is. We need Pakistan very badly for this phase, and nothing is free, not even killing scumbag terrorists.
No really, its all true. We also have secret India-bashing meetings on Thursday nights. And we've placed a giant magnifying glass in orbit, which is why your summers are so beastly hot.
Laughter is one of the better emotional responses to people that are overly full of themselves and overly incensed.
Additionally, according to you there is far too much animosity to make it work anyway. Who could expect Indians to give up their ideals to work with the unrepentant evil Americans?
And lest you have a good time during your stay here, remember that every time a fat American has a Big Mac, a child in India is deprived of food.
India’s security is expendable and an acceptable price to keep Pakistan on American side.
It would be beneficial if US intentions are stated clearly for Indian policy makers to see what it is for real, beyond all the empty rheotoric about alliance.
You just don't know how to handle victory. Your arguments have been very convincing. The United States has absolutely nothing to gain from an alliance with India. Why bother helping another billion people become prosperous when all they want is to be left alone?
Honestly, for all the trouble it would take, we could just build another naval strike group to put in the IO. And then India doesn't have to listen to some pompous American.
Really! I bet you can't name two reasons why it would be good for the United States to form such an alliance, so why bother. Right?
You still haven’t provided any realpolitik reason the U.S. should help India. I’m waiting for you to justify your statements.
Then India can invade, conquer, and pacify Pakistan. Then India’s physical and cultural geography will align with our goals, and we’ll all be friends again.
I don’t feel sorry for India in this. We do our best to attempt to make everyone happy, but when it comes to hammering AQ and their Taliban buddies, India’s potential security is very much expendable. You didn’t get attacked by Al Qaeda using your own airliners.
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