June 22, 2020
Indian Defense Minister visits Moscow to seek faster delivery of S-400 missile system
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Moscow Monday on a three-day visit to Russia where he is expected to apprise the Russian officials of the on-going situation at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.
According to the Asian News International (ANI) of India, in the backdrop of heightened tensions at the border with China, India will be requesting Russia to urgently supply via the air route instead of the sea route spare parts and associated equipment for Indian fighter planes, battle tanks and submarines.
ANI quoted government sources as saying that during his visit to Russia, the Defense Minister will discuss urgent supply of spares and equipment required for Russian-origin fighter aircraft like the MiG-29s and the Sukhoi-30MKIs of the Indian Air Force, the T-90 battle tanks of the Indian Army and the Kilo-class submarines of the Indian Navy, among others.
The equipment was earlier supposed to be shipped to India via the sea route but these shipments were delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The defense minister will request the Russian authorities to send these via the air route, the report added.
During his talks, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is also expected to ask the Russian authorities to expedite the delivery of S-400 air defense systems that were supposed to be delivered to India by the end of 2021.
Russia to delay delivery of S-400 missile systems to India by two years
The delivery of the S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems by Russia to India will be delayed by at least two years, it was announced in February 2020. The original timeline stipulated at the time of the signing of the $5.43 Billion contract on October 5, 2018 required the delivery of five S-400 systems to India between October 2020 and April 2023.
But Russia on February 17 conveyed that the revised deadline would delay delivery to 2025. “We are about to cross USD 16 Bn amount of deals. Both sides are committed to their timely and successful implementation, including supply of the S-400 best in the world air defense systems by 2025,” the Russian Embassy in New Delhi declared in a statement.
According to Indian Defense News, acquisition of the S-400 is critical to India’s military preparedness plans in filling up glaring air defense gaps. It was on account of the critical necessity that even the requirement for offsets (counter-trade obligations) was waived off for Russia. The delay prolongs India’s air defense vulnerabilities.
Tellingly, an influential Member of Parliament of the ruling Bhartia Janta Party, Subramanian Swamy, in a tweet has warned the Modi government not to use S-400 missiles in a possible battle with China. “This is because S-400 is made with Chinese electronics. Russia today is a junior partner of China.”
This is not the first time Swamy has warned against the S-400 missile system. In December 2019, Swamy warned the presence of Chinese electronics would make the missile system "compromised" in a war with Pakistan, in addition to the risk of US sanctions.
De-escalating tensions on China-India border paramount
Meanwhile, Hu Xijin editor-in-chief of the Global Times warned Monday that if Indian troops shoot Chinese soldiers in the first place in future encounters, then the China-India border dispute will turn into a military conflict.
According to Indian media reports, India gave "complete freedom of action" to commanders deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to "handle situations at the tactical level." Moreover, the commanders would no longer be bound by restrictions on the use of firearms in "extraordinary situations," Hu Xijin said adding:
If this is proved to be true, the latest development seriously violates the Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field along the Line of Actual Control in the China-India Border Areas. Although border face-offs occasionally erupt between China and India, the troops of the two countries haven't opened fire on each other for decades. If Indian soldiers use firearms against Chinese soldiers in the future, there will be a different picture in the border areas.
The Global Times editor said “I must warn Indian nationalists: If your soldiers cannot even defeat Chinese soldiers in unarmed clashes, then guns and other firearms will not help them. The reason: The military strength of China is much more advanced and stronger than that of India.”
Hu Xijin also pointed out that “Some Indians arrogantly believe that the modernization of Indian troops will allow them to defeat the Chinese People's Liberation Army and take revenge on China for India's defeat in the 1962 border war. I'd love to tell them that there was not much difference between China and India in terms of economic strength in 1962, but today, China's GDP is about five times that of India and China's military expenditure is over three times that of India according to Western estimates. If India escalates the border dispute with China into skirmishes or even local wars, it would be like an egg dashing itself against a rock.”
“China doesn't want to escalate conflicts with India, but we have sufficient capacity to smash any provocations from the Indian troops. It's hoped that Indian troops can remain sober and Indian elites keep rational. It's in the India's interests to work with China to put the border disputes under control, the Global Times editor concluded.
The Global Times warning came as Indian and Chinese military commanders met on Monday to try to ease tensions at their disputed Himalayan border. An Indian government source said commanders met in Moldo, on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border dividing India’s Ladakh region from the Chinese held Aksai Chin.
The meeting lasted several hours, with the Indian side pushing China to withdraw its troops back to where they were in April, the source said. China, in previous rounds of talks, had asked India to stop all construction work in what it says is Chinese territory.
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Chief Editor of the Journal of America (www.journalofamerica.net) email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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