Chennai: “US sanctions under CAATSA legislation were never designed to harm friends and allies,” said outgoing American envoy Kenneth Juster on Tuesday.
In his farewell address on Tuesday, he said, “India will have to make certain choices on its overall approach on acquisition of military hardware. The CAATSA sanctions were never designed to harm friends and allies. They were aimed at a particular country. And there are many variables involved in it”.
“As systems get more technologically advanced, country A that does not get along with country B will be less willing to sell technology that could potentially be compromised to country B,” he said without making specific references.
“We haven’t hit that point yet but that could come down in the future and that will be an issue that there are trade-offs. India has to decide how much it matters to get the most sophisticated technology, how much it matters to be as inter-operable as it can be, within its technology and potentially with other friendly forces,” Juster said.
In an hour-long talk entitled ‘Ambition and Achievement in the US-India Partnership’ detailing developments in the bilateral relationship from 2017, Juster said “no bilateral relationship in the world is as broad, complex and rich in substance as that of the United States and India.”
He said there has been growing concern about interoperability of weapons systems, suggesting that New Delhi should keep in mind sensitivities of military suppliers.
Juster said the US recognises that India desires to produce more of its military equipment within the country, noting that the US looks forward to its growing partnership in this effort.