Joe Biden – President of the United States of America has just been given a warning by the country’s top military intelligence officer. The Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Scott Berrier recently told members of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on worldwide threats that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi pursued an assertive foreign policy in 2020 aimed at demonstrating the country’s strength and its perception as a net provider of security in the strategically vital Indian Ocean Region. The comments by the DIA chief come in the backdrop of Biden making subtle moves to defang Quad and assist China in its dreams of conquering the Indo-Pacific region.
However, Scott Berrier’s crisp and clear remarks, of India being a “net provider of security in the strategically vital Indian Ocean Region” will soon begin haunting the American President, as he will come to realise that he cannot afford to antagonise New Delhi only to woo Beijing. Effectively, that also means that Biden will not have the legroom to try and disempower Quad and let China have the last laugh. Scott Berrier has made it clear before the Senate Armed Services Committee that India has a significant say in the extended Indian Ocean Region, which will prevent Biden from acting funny in the future.
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Whether it be trying to take on China with the help of the redundant G-7 grouping instead of Quad, or Biden’s moves of going soft on China on a variety of issues – dismantling the very concept and structure of Quad seems to be the ultimate goal of the US President. However, sane voices from within America, like those of Scott Berrier are ensuring that the President does not stretch his luck too far. Speaking before the Senate committee, the DIA chief said, “India hardened its approach towards China following a deterioration in bilateral relations that followed Chinese efforts to take Indian-claimed territory along the disputed Line of Actual Control border beginning in the summer of 2020.”
Important to note is the fact that Berrier stated before the Senate Armed Services Committee that India had, in order to take on China in 2020, sent its navy ships to shadow Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden. The DIA Director also added, “India also implemented economic measures meant to signal its resolve against China, including banning Chinese mobile phone apps and taking steps to use trustworthy vendors of telecommunications.”
Apart from warning Joe Biden and Democrats over trying their luck around with India, Scott Berrier also made it a point to mention that India always had Russia as a strategic and time tested partner to trust. “(India) will continue its longstanding defence relationship with Russia because of the large amount of Russian-origin equipment in India’s inventory and Moscow’s willingness to assist New Delhi in strengthening its domestic defence industry,” Berrier said.
Scott Berrier also laid emphasis on the fact that India has occupied itself in an unprecedented military modernisation and indigenisation wave, particularly in 2020 – as global supply chains were turned upside down and tensions with China soared. All in all, Berrier in his tone seemed convinced that the United States must not infuriate India. Joe Biden, however, has been doing just that ever since being inaugurated, the President of the US. First, he tried to dilute the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific and most recently tried to block the supply of critical vaccine raw material exports to India citing a wartime law. NSA Ajit Doval had to step in and bring America to its knees, after which the Biden administration cleared exports of the raw materials to India.
The DIA chief’s remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee will definitely upset many American liberals and Democrats, beginning with no less than the President – who has been relentlessly working for the past three months to worsen ties between Washington D.C. and New Delhi.