https://thediplomat.com/2018/06/india-r ... sanctions/
India, Russia to Press Ahead With S-400 Deal Despite Threat of US Sanctions
India’s defense minister reiterated New Delhi’s determination to go ahead with procuring the Russian-made missile air defense system.
By Franz-Stefan Gady
June 06, 2018
India will press ahead with the procurement of five regiments of Russian-made S-400 Triumf advanced Air Defense Systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) intended for service in the Indian military notwithstanding U.S. sanctions, Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a recent press conference.
Speaking to the press on June 5, the defense minister emphasized the close defense ties between India and Russia. “In all our engagements with the U.S., we have clearly explained how India and Russia’s defense cooperation has been going on for a long time and that it is a time-tested relationship,” Sitharaman said. “We have mentioned that CAATSA cannot impact the India-Russia defense cooperation.”
The United States passed the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Russia in August 2017 for reportedly influencing and manipulating the 2016 presidential election process. Core provisions of the CAATSA, including sanctions on Russian business entities and senior Russian political and business figures, came into effect in January 2018.
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The Indian defense minister is expected to raise the issue of sanctions under CAATSA, which could kick in on any Indo-Russian defense procurement deal above $15 million, at the upcoming 2+2 talks between the Indian and U.S. defense and foreign ministers scheduled for this month in Washington DC.
The imposition of sanctions by the United States on India is seen as highly unlikely. Nonetheless, India’s decision to move ahead with the S-400 acquisition could impact future U.S.-India defense deals, including the possible procurement of armed U.S.-made Predator drones or the establishment of joint aircraft production facilities.
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The balls are in Trump's court. He may decide to scratch or just let it go.
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https://news.usni.org/2018/06/06/u-s-in ... n-thursday
U.S., India, Japan Navies Start Malabar Exercise Tomorrow in Guam
By: Ben Werner
June 6, 2018
The U.S. Navy is hosting naval forces from India and Japan in Guam for the annual Malabar Exercise, set to start Thursday in the Philippine Sea.
This is the first year Guam is hosting the annual exercise in which participants will practice surface and anti-submarine warfare operations, combined carrier strike group operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, and visit, board, search, and seizure operations, according to a Navy statement.
The Malabar 2018 exercise represents the U.S. commitment to working with regional powers in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said last week when he unveiled the new name of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at a ceremony welcoming Adm. Phil Davidson in his new role taking the helm of that combatant command.
“In recognition of the increasing connectivity, the Indian and Pacific Oceans, today we rename the U.S. Pacific Command to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Over many decades, this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstance, and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west,” Mattis said at the ceremony.
While not mentioned in any public statements released by the Malabar participants, the recent activities of China, notably its program of building artificial islands in the South China Sea and sending submarines into the Indian Ocean, loom over the exercise.
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Gautam