2+2 Dialogue: Routine But Necessary

NEW DELHI: The India-US 2+2 dialogue last week in Delhi was routine in many respects but such meetings are required to push bureaucracies and boost confidence on either side, says Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, former Commander Western Fleet and head of Integrated Defence Staff. Admiral Sinha was answering questions on The Gist about the pace and direction of the 2+2 dialogue, and in his opinion while there may be some bureaucratic issues, it’s clear there is strategic commitment in Washington and Delhi. The agreement on building the General Electric engine in India is a continuing story, he said, and will take time to happen. But it will enable India to fill a key gap in its technological capacities even as work on the indigenous Kaveri engine for marine purposes goes forward. He said there is no chance of the US giving India submarine technologies, and this is something it will restrict to its key allies the UK and Australia. But France is probably a better partner in that respect for India, he said. Tune in for more in this conversation with Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (Retd).