US-Israel defence technology push puts India in a strategic position: Report

As the United States reshapes its security partnership with Israel around advanced technologies rather than conventional arms sales India finds itself in a uniquely advantageous positionAs per IANS the Indian counterpart already occupies a strategic position at the intersection of US and Israeli defence innovation giving it an edge that few nations can match a report has statedSaurav Dutt an author and Global Affairs commentator published ldquoAmericarsquos latest defence legislation has attracted headlines suggesting that Washington and Jerusalem are lsquointegratingrsquo their militariesrdquoHe also added ldquoThat makes for compelling political theatre but it misses the far more consequential development The legislation is not creating a unified military command or a NATOstyle alliance Instead it lays the foundation for something arguably more significant a deeply integrated defence innovation ecosystem For India that distinction matters enormouslyrdquo as per IANSReport says India has quietly become Israelrsquos closest defence partnersEmphasising that India has quietly evolved into one of Israelrsquos closest defence partners the report said ldquoOver the past two decades New Delhi has purchased more than USD 10 billion in Israeli defence equipment including airborne early warning aircraft Barak missile systems advanced radar networks Heron drones Harop loitering munitions and sophisticated electronic warfare systems Israel has consistently ranked among Indiarsquos largest defence suppliersrdquo he addedAmerican investment to accelerate Israeli technological innovationAccording to the expert increased American investment is expected to significantly accelerate Israeli technological innovation He noted that larger research budgets deeper industrial collaboration and greater access to American laboratories are likely to enable Israel to develop more advanced defence technologies than it could on its own as per IANSDutt stressed that India in turn could eventually benefit from the access to these capabilities through its own expanding strategic partnershipsThe report published in one of the Israeli newspapers further argued that one of the most overlooked aspects of the development is that Washington has already begun building a remarkably similar framework with IndiaIt also mentioned ldquoThe Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology iCET launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in 2023 established cooperation across artificial intelligence semiconductors quantum computing telecommunications space and defence innovation The INDUSX initiative followed connecting startups investors defence companies and governments to encourage joint development and coproductionrdquo as per IANSldquoAt the same time India has expanded its own technology cooperation with Israel through the IndiaIsrael Industrial RampD and Technological Innovation Fund I4F while launching additional collaboration on critical and emerging technologies under both countriesrsquo National Security Advisorsrdquo it further notedHighlighting Indias unique position the report said few nations have advanced technology partnerships with both Washington and Jerusalem giving New Delhi a strategic advantage that few capitals can matchWith inputs from IANS