USA India Dual Use Technology Transfers

My article in Hindustan Times on India-USA relations

Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

America's Two Timing

by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

Copyright, Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, 2004

International Publishing rights in all media with Hindustan Times



India's hopes that President Bush's "Next Steps in the Strategic
Partnership with India" would lead to easier access to US high
technology, especially for its space programme, have been dashed. USA
had placed severe restrictions on transfer of dual-use technologies,
which have both civilian and military applications, to India following
its 1974 nuclear tests.

In mid-January 2004, Bush and Vajpayee announced the ugradation of the
existing "Glide Path" relationship to "Next Steps". Both leaders
heralded it as a new era of cooperation. Curiously, they refused to
provide any details.

Two months later, as US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits India,
it appears that USA never had any serious intentions of transferring
any advanced technologies to India. A senior US official stated that
"India would receive no substantial technology unless the US was
satisfied that India had tightened export controls". He further
insinuated that Indian organizations had re-exported US technology to
Saddam Hussein's regime, but did not provide any evidence to support
his allegations. Another senior US official stated that US cooperation
in space technology would be "limited to humanitarian and scientific
issues...and would not have anything to do with electronic components
or space launch vehicles or high-resolution imagery..."

It is hypocritical for the US government to deny much-needed
technology to the peaceful space programme of a fellow democracy and a
key ally in the War on Terror, when it has long countenanced transfer
of dual-purpose technologies by US corporations to a totalitarian
nuclear and missile power like China.

China's Peoples Liberation Army obtained satellite and missile
technologies such as encrypted radiation-hardened integrated circuits
from Loral, post-boost vehicle technologies from Lockheed, telemetry
systems from Motorola, and nose-cone technologies from Hughes. The US
government had denied permission for export of these very technologies
to India following its Pokharan II nuclear tests in May 1998.

Hughes also supplied remote-sensing data-acquisition, processing,
archival and distribution equipment to China's remote-sensing cum
real-time secure-communications Feng Ho series of military satellites.
Other space technologies transferred by Hughes to China include
anti-jam capabilities, advanced antennas, cross-links,
baseband-processing, encryption devices, radiation-hardening
processes, and perigee kick motors, as well as the design and
manufacture of missile nose cones and electronic missile control
systems. The PLA incorporated these in its Dong Feng series of nuclear
missiles.

In February 1997 Sun Microsystems exported an E-5000 server to
‘Automated Systems Limited Warehouse' in Hong Kong. This powerful
computer immediately ended up in Changsha Institute of Science and
Technology, which trains PLA officers in missile and rocket
technology, where it was used to design Dong Feng missiles. DF-31,
with its range of 6000 miles and warhead of three 90-kiloton nuclear
bombs, poses a serious threat to all of India.

While USA alleged without any proof that Indian organizations were
re-exporting US technology to Iraq, Chinese companies have done so for
years. In 1994, AT&T transferred advanced fiber-optic communications
equipment and encryption software to a Chinese company called Galaxy
New Technology, mentioning in its export license that these were
intended for commercial civilian use within China. These were
immediately incorporated by the PLA's Electronics Design Bureau into a
secure air-defense system (NATO code-name Tiger Song), and re-exported
to Iraq. AT&T officials stated that they had no reason to question
Galaxy New Technology's bona fides, even though it had been formed
only a few weeks earlier and was headed by Nie Lie, wife of General
Ding Henggao, who then commanded China's Commission on Science,
Technology, and Industry for National Defense. Galaxy's President was
Senior Colonel Deng Changru, head of the Communications Corps of the
People's Liberation Army. Its General Manager was Senior Colonel Xie
Zhichao, director of PLA's Electronics Design Bureau. This deal was
facilitated by key figures in the Democratic Party, notably William
Perry and Adlai Stevenson III. General Ding Henggao arranged for
political contributions to the Democratic Party - the notorious
China-gate scandal.

All these deals violated USA's own Arms Export Control Act and
International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and took place over the
objections of USA's own Defense Intelligence Agency. In an obvious
cover-up the US exporters got away with light fines.

Another clause in "Next Steps" was "An Expanded Dialogue on Missile
Defence". But Washington immediately offered cooperation on nuclear
missiles to Islamabad as well, on substantially the same terms.
According to US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, USA
acquiesced in Musharraf's pardon of Abdul Qadeer Khan in return for
greater Pakistani cooperation in crushing the Taliban. It is no wonder
then that USA did not put enough pressure on Pakistan to call off its
test firing of the Shaheen II nuclear missile on Tuesday, March 9.
With its 2500 kilometre range and 1000 kilogram nuclear payload,
Shaheen II is a serious threat to all major Indian cities.

Several Indian intelligence officials have claimed that they had
brought Abdul Qadir Khan's activities to the notice of their American
and European counterparts as long ago as 1995, but were rebuffed. The
US government also had turned a blind eye when Pakistan bought 34 M-11
missiles from China in November 1992, in violation of the terms of the
Missile Technology Control Regime. These are based at Sargodha air
force base, west of Lahore, next to Pakistan's plutonium reactor at
Khushab. USA also looked the other way when Pakistan's National
Defense Complex's missile production factory at Fatehgunj (40 km west
of Islamabad) imported gyroscopes, accelerometers, on-board computers,
and other equipment to manufacture M-11 missiles from China Precision
Machinery Import-Export Corporation in 1996.

There is growing discontent among Indian intelligence and defence
officials that India has provided USA far more valuable inputs in the
War on Terror than it has received in return. During recent joint
military exercises, US troops have benefitted greatly from the
experience of India's field-tested TTPs (Techniques, Tactics and
Procedures) in guerrilla warfare, counter-terrorism, fourth-generation
warfare, asymmetric warfare, and high-altitude warfare. However,
Indian officers have not been given unfettered access to US military
and intelligence equipment and technologies, particularly sensors,
telemetry, communications surveillance and decryption, real-time
imagery, and data-mining.

India should emphasize to Colin Powell that it is high time that USA
transferred not only dual-use technologies but even much-needed
defence, space, nuclear, and missile technologies to India.


by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

The author heads a group on C4ISRT (Command, Control, Communications
and Computers Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and
Targetting) in South Asia. He is also Advisor, Information Warfare and
Revolution in Military Affairs, Centre for Monitoring Chinese Military
Activities.


Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad
19 Maitri Apts, CIS Off Society # 19
A - 3, Paschim Vihar
New Delhi 110 063

CellPhone: 98 117 56789 Fax: (011) 25 26 68 68



Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page

Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page


America's Two Timing

by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

Copyright, Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, 2004

International Publishing rights in all media with Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

On 11 Apr 2004 09:15:21 -0700, (Ravi V Prasad) wrote:

My article in Hindustan Times on India-USA relations

Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

America's Two Timing

by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

Copyright, Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, 2004

International Publishing rights in all media with Hindustan Times



India's hopes that President Bush's "Next Steps in the Strategic
Partnership with India" would lead to easier access to US high
technology, especially for its space programme, have been dashed. USA
had placed severe restrictions on transfer of dual-use technologies,
which have both civilian and military applications, to India following
its 1974 nuclear tests.

If the Government of India would pay more attention to its starving, utterly
impoverished people and less attention to a completely useless "space
program" they might be just a bit better off.

Al Minyard

Alan Minyard wrote in message . ..
On 11 Apr 2004 09:15:21 -0700, (Ravi V Prasad) wrote:

My article in Hindustan Times on India-USA relations

Published in Hindustan Times, Wednesday, 17 March 2004, edit page

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

America's Two Timing

by Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/1...6,00120002.htm

Copyright, Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad, 2004

International Publishing rights in all media with Hindustan Times



India's hopes that President Bush's "Next Steps in the Strategic
Partnership with India" would lead to easier access to US high
technology, especially for its space programme, have been dashed. USA
had placed severe restrictions on transfer of dual-use technologies,
which have both civilian and military applications, to India following
its 1974 nuclear tests.

If the Government of India would pay more attention to its starving, utterly
impoverished people and less attention to a completely useless "space
program" they might be just a bit better off.

Al Minyard

Good thing then that the Indians dont take advice from idiots like you.