India, US can work together on emerging tech: Pentagon official

BECA was one of the three foundation agreements signed between India and the United States, along with the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), and the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) signed in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

He, however, did not share further details on the contours of the agreement. He also refused to comment on a news report which said that the US had shared intelligence with India which helped contain Chinese incursions at the borders.

Earlier in the day, Kendall had met the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and had meetings with the team of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the Ministry of Defence among others, which he termed “very positive.”

But, he also said that India’s Make in India programme, which is pushing for most defence equipment and platforms to be produced in India should be implemented in stages.

Calling the need for a certain percentage of military equipment to be produced in India “problematic”, he said this can be difficult to meet as a practical matter. “One of the approaches I talked about today is where you phase in that transition. So, you may start with a smaller fraction that is desired, but have a clear path to get there over time as you work together,” he said.

The official added that the US and India are discussing a possible technology transfer of jet engines and this would be a step in the right direction.

“We have not finalised any agreements. But the offer that General Electric has put on the table, which still has to work through some processes, is very much a step in the right direction. It’s not where we would have been several years ago,” he said.

“The offer that General Electric has on the table for engine technology, I think, is in some ways a breakthrough. And I’m hoping that we can work together and find a way to move that forward,” he said.

Asked about the status of the 30 MQ-9B predator armed drones which India was seeking to buy from the US at a cost of over $3 billion, he said the US has some systems that it thinks would potentially be very beneficial that meet India’s requirements of medium and high altitude unmanned aerial vehicles and both the countries are discussing this.

At a time, India is pitching its F/A 18 Super Hornets for the Navy’s aircraft carrier-borne fighter jets programme and the F-21 fighter jet for Indian Air Force’s 114 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) requirements, Kendall said India has its own requirements and it should decide what type of capabilities it needs for its fighter force.

“If American capabilities can meet those requirements… I think we are prepared to discuss those. We are very interested in working with India on that possibility,” he said.

Kendall highlighted that the US has been more open to technology sharing with India than they have been in the past.

“So, I think there’s more potential there from the US as well and we’re also moving forward to try to relax some of our constraints,” he said.

Kendall said the US and India have strong shared values as democracies, shared security concerns across the spectrum of security interests, adding that India is a valuable partner and a major defence partner of distinction for the US.

“We share values again, and interest in peace and stability in the region, particularly in the Indo Pacific, but globally as well,” he said, adding: We’re building trust with India substantially and it has increased dramatically.

About the Indo-Pacific, he said there are general concerns about peace and stability in the region. He said the region should be a stable, peaceful place where all can achieve prosperity together and work together for a common infrastructure.

Kendall is the 26th Secretary of the Air Force and is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the U.S. Air and Space Forces as per the US Air Force website.

He has more than 50 years of experience in engineering, management, defence acquisition, and national security affairs across private industry, government, and the military and was formerly the vice president of Engineering for Raytheon Company.