I don;t understand why people (here) would think India is a great friend of ours in this part of the world...
If you've been in the military, and have some intel background...You'll know they've always been an "orange" force to be factored into any battle plan...
Most of their hardware is Soviet cast-off stuff...But slap a coat of paint on them, and change the flag it flys under...And boom...Instant (one-more-thing-I-gotta-pay-attention-to) potential OpFor...
At least these P-3's (if they buy them) are a known factor...Its the surprises that get you...
Out of curiosity, during the Clinton Administration, what was our policy for material and technology transfers to countries like Taiwan, India, and Turkey?
What about to Saudi Arabia?
What are the differences between the strategic significances of our military alliances between the Clinton and Bush(43) Administrations?
Is my impression that President Bush's pursuit of encouraging the development of strategic partnerships with countries surrounding China correct, in that Clinton did not have a similar "strategy" in how his administration handled, sold, and distributed American military materials and technology? Or was Clinton's pattern of distribution and transfer geared toward the Cold War concept of balancing American power by giving away our technology and curbing the development of new military technologies, as an attempt to bring about a parity between our country and those who have positioned themselves on the other side as our enemies?
I remember during the 1990s, and one of the reasons I disliked the Clinton Administrations foreign policy was its adherence to the idea that an unopposed American Super Power was unacceptable.
Funny, isn't it, that we've been selling P-3Cs to Pakistan as well.
To be sure - India will never be an "ally" in the sense that you can manipulate their foreign policy or get them to take part in shady operations like Saudis or Pakistanis do, but India is also not going to say one thing and do another like our traditional "allies" in that part of the world. And unlike in the Cold War, India is fundamentally with us on the two biggest foreign policy challenges facing us in the 21st century - GWOT and China. That is why, we are doing what we are doing now - slowly build up links with thier military and political power players and let common interests guide the partnership. Remember that India, unlike Pakistan, pays for its weapons and can easily buy weapons from a number of suppliers who are all eager to sell. We are doing them no favor by offering existing technology such as the P-3Cs.