USA to India: About the USS Kitty Hawk.
You want it?
By Moe Lane Posted in Foreign Affairs | India | PRC | Russia — Comments (16) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Because while we were originally going to just decommission it next year, well, arrangements can be made. You see, it turns out that the Russians have been not exactly living up to their end of the deal when it comes to providing the Indians with one of their carriers, which provides us with a certain opportunity...
According to numerous sources inside India, when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits New Delhi late in February (provided his Tuesday Potomac Primary Day broken shoulder does not alter his itinerary) he will be carrying a signed letter from U.S. President George W. Bush offering a better deal for India than the one they have been struggling to get out of Moscow for four years now. The Indian Navy will reportedly be offered the soon-to-be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) aircraft carrier for free--provided the Indian Navy will agree to purchase 65 of the newest model Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to be operated off of it.
If true--and if New Delhi accepts--this can do more than just sink the Russian carrier deal and the MiG-29K contract. The Indian Air Force (IAF) are deep in the throes of a tender to purchase almost 200 new fighter aircraft, with Boeing and RSK-MiG both in the field of six contenders. An order of 200 fighter airplanes is unheard of--larger than any such export sale in more than 20 years. In an era where sales of 12, 20, or 40 fighters are more common, this is the PowerBall Lotto of export competitions.
If the Indian Navy decide to take on the F/A-18E/Fs, it makes logistical sense for the IAF to do the same and the competition for this massive sale would probably be over for all of the other competitors before it gets started. This would be a huge blow to the fortunes of RSK-MiG, who are bidding an advanced, developed MiG-29 model they have now re-labeled the MiG-35. It could make it hard for the famous Russian planemaker to stay in the military aircraft market.
Just last December Boeing placed $1 billion worth of outsourced production with India's HAL. To run for 10 years, this contract will have the Indians building portions of the F/A-18E/F, the Chinook CH-47 helicopter, and other Boeing platforms. This incentive--plus the carrier deal--could make the Boeing Super Hornet the proverbial offer that is too good to pass up.
Via Ace.
Read on.
This is only partially about the money - by the way, if this deal works out then we've outsourced 1 billion's worth of revenue over ten years to get back almost 16 billion. Nice hunk of change there - it's also about making certain of India as a regional ally. Mr. Johnson's article to one side (it's not wrong, just focused on something other than what I am), the idea here is to make certain that the PRC is aware that we will be engaged in the region, and we will be not functioning at the end of a horrifically long logistics chain. The idea is not to box in the Chinese, per se; just to let them know that we're still paying attention*.
As for the Russians, while I see Johnson's point I'm not entirely certain that it's as significant as he expects it to be. Russia is going to be a regional power; but it probably will not be able to do much beyond regaining influence in its former empire. Eastern Europe is lost to it - to give just one example, the Poles (no fools they) have worked out that the United States of America has precisely zero interest in taking over their country, and have made their alliances accordingly - and the Third World is not the attraction that it was when the Russians were interested in fomenting a worldwide Communist revolution. Their nuclear capacity requires respect, and they might rebound in twenty years, but right now I'm more concerned about the Chinese. Apparently, so is the US government; hence the doing well by doing good.
At any rate, I look forward to reading the history books that will be written thirty years from now. Not least because at least half of them will be laden with genteel academic fury over all the well-meaning 'analysts' obsessing over Iraq, when they could have been doing something useful with their valuable research time.
Moe Lane
*Not to interject a note of domestic politics in this discussion, but may I observe that when certain countries express a wish for a change of leadership in the United States, it might perhaps not be because they have our best interests in mind? Well, I know that I may: but dare I hope that our political opponents might actually get the point?
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USA to India: About the USS Kitty Hawk. 16 Comments (0 topical, 16 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
And I lived in India for three years, so I know what I'm talking about.
With the Gorshkov, the Russian admirals and Indian defense ministry people can get filthy rich under-the-table through bribes, kickbacks, and baksheesh, as they've been doing for decades. With the Kitty Hawk, there is no such back door slush money. Therefore, the personal incentive for the people negotiating the deal is to stick with the Russians and make money hand-over-fist.
Regardless, if true, this is a brilliant move on our part, and it'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the end.
but I spent a week on the Kitty Hawk years and years ago (Tiger Cruise - for those of you who know what that is). If you've never had the chance to see flight operations on an aircraft carrier, you are missing out.
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Having this capability could give the Indians the ability to blockade Karachi. We should consider the effect of this sale on a key partner in the war on Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Not saying we shouldn't do it, only that we should consider how to mitigate the consequences.
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the US has made no bones about the fact that India is our ally, and Pakistan was "convinced" to become ally after 9-11. This could help to convince Pakistan it really, really does want to stay on our good side.
if masses of people suddenly move west. It's the same thing that makes China cooperate in negotiations with North Korea.
The most important naval threat in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific is China, who are aggressively building a modern blue-water navy of their own.
Americans often assume that the threat with China is from the People's Liberation Army. It's not. China is thinking much more strategically. As a mercantilist power, they want and need to control all the sea lanes through which they import raw materials and commodities. Supertankers need to pass through the Indian Ocean to get from Hormuz to China.
India doesn't want to be in a position where the Chinese can bottle them up. And the Indians are not natural allies of the US. Ever since independence, they have been very sophisticated about playing the conflicts between the superpowers to their own advantage. We're closely aligned with them now, but they are rapidly expanding trade with Europe and China. Unlike the Japanese, who are our friends for life, the Indians will need to be constantly stroked and flattered.
while Liberals still opine for the "respect" of old Europe and the UN, the Bush administration has been, quietly, strengthening ties to India, Eastern Europe, and countries in Africa.
India is going to get a carrier, whether it's from Russia, or us. They're also building one of their own design and construction, so they intend to have two. One of them might as well be from us, and, though the Kitty Hawk is much older than the Adm Gorshkov, it is much more capable. And, the air wing they could operate from it, would be much larger than what they could operate from the Gorshkov.
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I am a Kitty Hawk native and got a chance to go on the Kitty Hawk I like the idea of her being over there. like others have said they are going to get one it might as well be her.
and as someone who owns a copious number of computers, video game consoles and other electronics of every vintage, I love how we and the Russians enjoy a competitive used arms market, like people would with used Porsches, Jaguars and other fine cars.
Very interesting post. I love pretty much anything to do with aircraft carriers.
Kitty Hawk is the last of the oil-fired carriers. She is pretty old, but I am sure she is still capable. It would be a big step for the Indian Navy to be able to get up to speed on carrier operations. Other than the prestige, I wonder if the benefits would be worth the cost. Carriers are a long range power projection tool and really only make sense if you contemplate operating far from established bases. I say that even though I 25 years of my adult life as a carrier oriented Officer.
For David Hinz, I demur. We were pretty closely associated with Pakistan during most of the Cold War when India was tied closely to Russia. Take a look at what the Pakistani Air Force has flown since the 1960s. I suppose the relationship cooled during the Carter years when we became more fastidious about our friendships. During the Clinton years we probably just neglected them. So, in 2001 there was some repair work to be done, but there was a foundation.
I believe this potential sale, with or without the Kitty Hawk, is a bad deal for the American Aerospace industry.
It is just another excuse to export more American High Tech jobs to foreign countries who will eventually use the knowledge gained to compete against us.
Also, the current Boeing $1 billion - 10 year contract will make this country even more dependent on foreign sources and their governments to make the equipment our troops need to defend this country.
Just consider how many Americans a $100 million/year employs in high paying jobs that will soon be exported over-seas.
You think it'd be better for American manufacutring NOT to sell US planes to India, instead letting the Russians do it?
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
France is leading naval exercises with the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. India already has naval ties with Gulf states.
It's good news because it's more proof we won't be alone keeping the Persian Gulf open, particularly at the Straits of Hormuz. This is as close to effective diplomacy as I think I've ever seen.
Surprise. The Bush Administration is conducting some effective diplomacy over a pretty broad expanse of the globe. It just doesn't get reported as such--if at all.
After China, South Asia is going to be our biggest foreign policy headache for the next half century. Glad to see someone's thinking ahead.
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