Indian foreign policy has become aggressive, claims US intelligence chief -

Washington: Scott Berrier, Director of the US Defence Intelligence Agency, said, ‘Adopting an aggressive policy regarding demonstrating its ability, India has implemented the foreign policy intensely in the year 2020. India is emerging as a country that can provide comprehensive security in the Indian Ocean region. India has also made its stand harsh against China.’ Berrier made this claim during the hearing in front of the US Congress and recorded his observations.

China attempted to control the Indian territory with intrusion on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. But India stopped China. 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Galwan Valley conflict. But India deployed an additional 40,000 soldiers in the sector. By deploying artillery guns, tanks, fighter jets and soldiers, India took control of strategically important hills. Scott Berrier noted during the hearing in front of the Armed Services Committee of the United States that India has proved its capability with this action taken against China.

The most important fact is that while the tension was reigning on the LAC in Ladakh, India sent its warships to follow the Chinese warships to the Gulf of Aden. This was a part of the Indian retaliation against the Chinese intrusion. Berrier said that India demonstrated its financial ability by banning Chinese apps. Berrier also pointed out that the Indian policy towards Pakistan also has become challenging.

Currently, India and Pakistan have imposed a ceasefire on the Line of Control (LOC). But Berrier inferred that this ceasefire would be scrapped following a saboteur act carried out by any of the terrorist organisations in Pakistan, and the Indian Army will launch an attack on the Pakistan Army. India is tremendously increasing its military might and has focused on the modernisation of the defence forces. Russia is still the most crucial defence partner for India. Berrier clarified in the hearing that this is so because India is dependent on Russia to maintain and repair the weapons and defence equipment purchased from Russia in the past.

India has increased its capacities in the space sector. The number of Indian satellites is consistently growing. In 2019, India demonstrated its prowess on the space front by testing an anti-satellite missile. Berrier said that India is taking steps to increase this might in the coming times steadily.

Meanwhile, Berrier stated that the changes in the Indian policies are being taken very seriously by the United States. The Biden administration had recently decided to test changes in the Indian foreign policy. Indications are that the war exercises in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone and its announcement were a part of the same testing.

The Biden administration took some decisions hurting India, even after that. The Biden administration tried to corner India by stopping the supply of the raw materials necessary for the Corona vaccine. Along with the other reasons, there was also the intention to slow down the speed of the Indian vaccination campaign and jolt India. Berrier also reminded that India had supplied huge quantities of medicines and medical supplies to countries from South Asia, Africa and the Gulf during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It is not clear if Berrier is trying to point out the consequences to the Biden Administration, saying that the Indian policy has become aggressive and is being implanted more intensely. But it has been exposed over the last few days that the US defence headquarters Pentagon, influential opposition leaders from the United States and the US industry, who is looking at India as a vast marketplace, are using their influence to dissuade the Biden administration from taking any anti-India decisions.