The Diplomat:
A senior U.S. diplomat in a recent congressional testimony expressed deep concerns over India’s decision to procure five squadrons of Russian-made Almaz-Antei S-400 Triumf air defense systems (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) for service in the Indian Air Force (IAF).
U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells said in an official testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on June 13 that the purchase of the S-400 defense systems could limit burgeoning India-U.S. military relations.
The induction of the new long-range air defense systems “effectively could limit India’s ability to increase our own interoperability,” according to Wells, adding that the United States has “serious concerns” about the long-term strategic implications of the purchase for U.S.-India ties.
