Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper, was fired earlier this week. Given that Trump administration has only a few months left in office, it is not shocking as many top officials were sacked this way.
However, this would mean a restart for India in New Delhi too because all the top Indian ministers and officials had developed a good rapport with Esper and the officials Trump is terminating.
Esper had visited India about two weeks ago before he was sacked by Trump through a tweet on Monday.
The acting Secretary of Defense for the National Counterterrorism Center is Director Christopher C. Miller.
According to an Indian Official, the diplomats on both sides have spent time and energy to strengthen the bilateral ties. With this sudden change of key officials, this can prove as a hindrance for smooth regulations in important matters.
However, the sudden change of key officials creates issues and acts as an impediment for smooth negotiations in important
According to sources, in their recent meeting when Esper had visited India, the ministers were able to conclude a key defence pact based on their mutual understanding.
Moreover, the BECA agreement in October was finalized all because of Singh and Esper’s efforts.
After the much-awaited Industrial Security Annex (ISA) was signed, it was then that the BECA agreement was taken forward.
Even when India got to know about Mattis’ exit, it was a huge loss for US-India ties. Nirmala and Mattis had bonded well over several key issues such as India getting a reduction under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for its purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia after they submitted a letter to the US Congress.
John Bolton, the US National Security Adviser, was terminated by Trump as he was not in agreement with the president on matters related to Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan.
This was no less disappointing, as Bolton and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval bonded strong immediately after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. In fact, they had a telephonic conversation over the Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), who was behind the attack.
Many other instances when officials have got terminated has been disappointing for India.
According to sources, India is concentrating on building relationship with the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. However, their main concern is over the “continuity of talks” as it is the question of security and strategical alignment with the US under the ‘Indo-Pacific’ construct, with the objective of containing China, among others.
According to a few experts, these changes don’t matter much when it comes to decision-making because they are minor.
Former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal said, “These changes do not make a big difference at all. Some minor problems can arise, but ultimately, it doesn’t matter, unless there is a major change in policies.”
However, Sibal did add: “It is true that personality matters, and sometimes, it becomes easier to negotiate difficult issues when two individuals bond. But ultimately, decision-making is a composite thing, and every department works together for that. We also have sudden cabinet reshuffles but that does not impact our larger policy-making strategy.”
