A keen observer of US-India relations writes:
"Based on several conversations in the last two weeks in Washington, it’s obvious that teams of dedicated government officials are working very, very hard in advance of President Obama’s trip to India to make it a success. Much effort is being expended to break down interagency barriers on previously trenchant issues. One expects positive developments could be seen in areas such as export control and the Entities List."
"As the search for big ideas continues, one of the focus areas for the future of security dialog is likely going to be security of the ’Global Commons’. India and the US can and must work together as large democracies to set norms for behavior in the Commons."
"In the context of ’big ideas’, IDSA recently released a paper by USAF Lt. Col. Peter Garretson, who was visiting on a Council on Foreign Relations fellowship. The paper suggests solar satellites as a joint project between the US and India as a possible vehicle to take the partnership to the next level. "
"This is the type of big idea that both bureaucracies and political decision-makers could get their arms around as being ’unique’. In the initial phases, the study of the applicability of such technology to Indian and American needs, as well as its export potential, would not be prohibitive and on the Indian side could interest entities like BHEL and ISRO."
Peter A. Garretson was a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) International Fellow in India, and a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) New Delhi. He is an active duty Air Force officer on sabbatical as an Air Force Fellow. He was previously the Chief of Future Science and Technology Exploration for Headquarters Air Force, Directorate of Strategic Plans and Programs, and is a former DARPA Service Chiefs’ Intern, and former Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Service Academy Research Associate. He is a published author on Space Grand Strategy, and is a recipient of the National Space Society’s (NSS) Space Pioneer Award.
His paper is titled,
"Sky’s is no limit: Space-based Solar Power, the next
major step in the Indo-US Strategic Partnership".
The paper "provides a policymaker’s overview of a highly scalable, revolutionary, renewable energy technology, Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP), and evaluates its utility within the context of the Indo-US strategic partnership. After providing an overview of the concept and its significance to the compelling problems of sustainable growth, economic development, energy security and climate change, it evaluates the utility of the concept in the context of respective Indian and US political context and energy-climate trajectories. The paper concludes that a bilateral initiative to develop Space-Based Solar Power is highly consistent with the objectives of the Indo-US strategic partnership, and ultimately recommends an actionable three-tiered programme to realize its potential."
SKY’S NO LIMIT:
SPACE-BASED SOLAR POWER,
THE NEXT MAJOR STEP IN THE
INDO-US STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP?
Peter A. Garretson
http://www.idsa.in/sites/default/files/ ... oLimit.pdf
I would also like to thank those who wrote letters on my behalf
both to CFR and to the Indian Government that ensured such outstanding
reception and access, as well as provided key personal and career advice.
My first thank you is to Ambassadors Jim and Lauren Moriarty, and LTC
Larry and Jackie Smith for providing so many useful leads and
introductions, and to the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) for hosting
two well-timed networking events. In particular, I owe a debt of gratitude
to Dr. Ashley Tellis, Dr. Sumit Ganguly, Mr. Joe McDade, Ms. Mitzi
Wertheim, Mr. John Mankins, Mr. Joe Burris, Mr. Matt Simmons, and to
Mr. Joseph D. Rouge, SES, Director National Security Space Office
(NSSO), Gen Mark F. Ramsay, Director, Air Force Strategic Planning,
Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, Headquarters
U.S. Air Force, Dr. Ken Watman, SES, then Deputy Air Force Strategic
Planning, and Lt. Gen. Paul J. Selva, Assistant to the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Mr. A. Volkman, Director, International
Cooperation, OSD/AT&L for writing on my behalf.
And the support
of the latter would also not have been possible without the pro-active
intercession of Col Steve Hiss, Lt Col Brad Kinneer, and Col Steve Rust.
The support of my fellow caballeros also made this possible. Without
Col Mike “Green Hornet” Hornitschek, I would not even have known
about the CFR program. Without Lt Col Paul Damphousse’s help, I
would not have had critical meetings with Mr. Rouge or with Dr. Saraswat,
and he has continued the good SBSP advocacy in the US, even as Col
“Coyote” Smith takes it to Europe. I also want to thank all my colleagues
at IDSA, especially my cluster, for the education and stimulation they
provided, particularly Dr. Namrata Goswami, Zakir Hussain, Faizan S.
M. Ahmed who spent so much time educating me about the greater
context of India.
Thanks also those who participated in my Fellows Presentation on
23 October 2009, particularly my Chair, Air Commodore (Ret) Jasjit
Singh, and my discussants, Dr. V. Siddhartha and Colonel Subodh Kumar.
I am also grateful to the wonderful military and defense minds at
IDSA who engaged me in their thinking, including Dr. Thomas Mathew,
Dr. G. Balachandran (accurately described as a “minefield of knowledge”),
Col DPK Pillay, Col Raj Shukla, Col Harinder Singh, Col Ali Ahmed,
Capt Alok Bansal, Col Gautam, Wg Cdr Ajey Lele, and particularly Wg
Cdr Venkatashmy Krishnappa, one of the finest strategic minds and most
insightful thinkers I have come across in my entire career.
I must also mention the wonderful support of my family, Darlene,
Marcus, Madeleine, and Alyssa that accepted a short notice and stressful
move to a distant land, immediately following the Mumbai 26/11 terrorist
attacks with less than certain information, and endured my lack of presence
in their lives for significant periods of time, and to my parents, Peter and
Jerri, that provided such wonderful support from back home.
Of course, I owe a particular inspirational thanks to Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam, former President of India for his vision for a Global Space
2050, as well as that of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, founder of the Indian
space programme for his vision of space serving society, and the particular
visions of Dr. Gerald K. O’Neill and Dr. Peter Glaser upon whom the
Industrial vision for space is founded.
But a very special, and unique thanks goes to Air
- i guess) but I don't like the policy of his party's choice for senator and Governor in my state (IMO, One of the worst anti-sourcing impacting India and Ohio is in their platform) .. but still I decided to write back to him..
! Will let you know if I get any response..
I live in a place which is predominantly republican, but even here there is very little support for Tea party. (Seriously, there is nothing positive I find there to support) 
