US Navy Indo-Pacific Command chief calls India buying S-400 Triumf from Russia a problem

S-400 missile system. (Photo courtesy: Rosoboronexport)

India will get a massive boost in its defensive capabilities after the Russian S-400 Triumf anti-air missiles are deployed with the armed forces. But the United States of America has been expressing its unease and displeasure with India for buying the S-400 Triumf missile system.

Now a top US Navy commander has made it clear that India acquiring the S-400 missile system from Russia is a "bit of a problem". "We're still in dialogue with them about that S-400. India is acquiring the S-400. It's a Russian air defence system. That's a bit of a problem. Will you continue to dialogue? I, I think they intend to do that. I'm trying to clarify for them that the tactical and technical case that's so important here," said US Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral Philip Scot Davidson at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

The US Navy Admiral also claimed that American defence and weapons were better than those from Russia. "US equipment is outperforming on the globe and you see this periodically come up against Russia, and US equipment is outperforming India's quite proud of their non-aligned policy status. They view this discussion about the S-400 as a policy issue and not a tactical and technical one. So we have got a little bit of ways to go there," he added.

Admiral Davidson, however, added that India has started to buy a lot of US defence equipment in the last few years including the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft, P-8I (Poseidon Eight India) long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine planes, C-130J Super Hercules and AH-64E Apache attack helicopters. You know, men, my peers in India, they grew up under Soviet training and then Russian sustainment for years and years and years. They certainly see the value of the engagements with us and are interested in moving forward with us. Our rift in that, certainly there's the issue of S-400 out there," said the Admiral.

He also pointed out that India loved the change of the US Pacific Command's name to Indo-Pacific Command. "It does not include a change in the area of responsibility, but it does more accurately described, uh, the area of responsibility and the important linkage that the Indian Ocean and the Pacific and countries around it are to each other. Everybody in the area of responsibility loves the name except China. The Indians really love it."

While the US has not yet applied the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on India for buying the S-400 from Russia, it has already acted against its NATO ally Turkey for buying the same missile system. US President Donald Trump has stopped the sale of over 100 F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to Turkey and the European country has also been removed from the development programme of the 5th Generation fighter for taking delivery of the S-400 missile system.