India, Israel to hold security dialogue

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, MAY 15. India and Israel are set to expand their defence ties beyond the existing buyer-seller relationship by evolving a new framework for interaction.

Highly placed sources in the government said a high-level delegation, led by the Defence Secretary, Mr. Yogendra Narain, has left for Israel to institutionalise the military relationship between the two sides. The delegation includes, the Joint Secretary (Planning and Coordination) in the Defence Ministry, Mr. B.A. Roy, and Lt. Gen. B.M. Kapur, who is heading the tri- service defence planning staff.

Observers point out that a high profile institutional link-up between the two defence ministries is long overdue. Not surprisingly, Mr. Narain's talks in Israel are likely to regularise meetings between the two defence ministries at the level of defence secretaries. India has a similar tie-up with the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

With the two sides sharing similar strategic concerns, they are likely to set in motion a regular security dialogue. These talks are expected to cover a broad agenda, including nuclear non- proliferation, stability in West Asia and the Persian Gulf as well as the spread of extremism and terrorism.

The Defence Secretary's talks have been preceded by elaborate preparations. The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Sushil Kumar, and the Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal Vinod Patney, visited Israel recently.

The sources point out that with the institutional links in place, military procurements by India from Israel are now likely to be better streamlined. India's shopping list from Israel includes Phalcon Early Warning planes. In fact, the likelihood of the Phalcon deal going through has increased recently. India has, for instance, rejected the A-50, a Russian built early warning plane. Its indigenous AWACS programme has been set back by the crash of the experimental early warning plane a few years ago. Besides, the US may now be in a mood to clear some of the critical parts used in the Israeli Phalcon.

India is also a market for the mid-air refueling planes which are necessary to extend the reach of some of the key aircraft of the IAF. These are especially necessary as the Indian threat perception extends to China. Besides, the IAF is looking for another consignment of Litening pods which when fitted to the Mirage-2000 can prove vital for bombing raids by night.

The Navy is also procuring Israeli equipment, including the Barak missiles for downing incoming anti-ship missiles.

With the Kargil war showing the limitation of Searcher-1, Israel's unmanned plane for surveillance and communication, India has started looking for alternatives. Israel's Searcher -2, which can perform adequately at extremely high altitudes as experienced in the Ladakh area, has emerged as a possible choice for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Apart from the Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy have shown enthusiasm for the UAVs. Israel, on its part, has also offered its long endurance Heron UAV to India.

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