Opinion | Where US sees India as an Indo-Pacific security provider, Pakistan sees an arms race

Giving India weapons and military tech under the US Indo-Pacific strategy destabilises South Asia’s strategic calculus, leaving Pakistan to find ways to rebalance its security

This could mean Pakistan increasing its nuclear-powered submarines, hypersonic missiles and nuclear fissile material

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A Pakistani-made Shaheen-III missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, on display at a military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 23, 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 3:30am, 28 Dec 2022Updated: 3:29pm, 16 Jan 2023

Attention in the West has gravitated towards India in anticipation of New Delhi sticking its neck out against China. This is seen in India’s role in America’s Indo-Pacific strategy, one of Washington’s central policies for challenging the rise of China.

But Western geopolitical strategies do not occur in a vacuum; because the Indo-Pacific strategy also reflects increasing US bonhomie with India, it ties directly into South Asia’s complex security landscape.

Washington’s propping up of New Delhi as the “net security provider” in the region is a grave strategic error. It will only hasten instability and push South Asia towards an arms competition, something incredibly dangerous for the nuclear-armed arch-rivals India and Pakistan. Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy has major implications for the region, particularly Pakistan.

The region’s security environment is already marked by military asymmetries, with India far ahead of any other state. The US strategy further envisions India as a dominant strategic power in the Indian Ocean against China. Recently, Washington delivered six MH-60R military helicopters to the Indian navy to boost its anti-submarine capabilities.

Drone technologies being developed between the United States and India will pave the way for New Delhi’s exceptional leverage in maritime surveillance. The US-India military cooperation has also enabled New Delhi to acquire defence equipment such as advanced jet engines and aircraft carrier technology.

Meanwhile, US-India military exercises continue, such as the Tiger Triumph and Yudh Abhyas, to train the Indian military for future operating environments and increase synchronisation between both armies.