Drones won’t fly without bases in India

http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/02/09/drones-wont-fly-without-bases-in-india/

Drones won’t fly without bases in India

When the news item first appeared last May, it seemed far-fetched — that the Pentagon could be eyeing India’s Andaman & Nicobar Islands for basing its drone aircraft. It seemed unthinkable that India would provide a base for the American drones on its soil.

~snip~

Hagel was evasive. He didn’t mention India, nor did he rule out India. Suffice to say, the precise timing of the remarks made by the US National Security Advisor Susan Rice in Washington on Friday, giving much hype to the US-Indian partnership, is also to be noted.

Ironically, Hagel’s press briefing underscored that Karzai is justified in exuding confidence over the capacity of the Afghan armed forces. What emerges is that while the Afghan scenario causes concern, it is nowhere near as apocalyptic as the American commentators and officials make it out to be. At the end of the day, the Obama administration’s priority it is to somehow ensure an open-ended US military presence in the highly strategic region of Afghanistan. (See my article US torpedoes Karzai’s contacts with Taliban.)

Of course, it will be downright stupid on the part of the Indian policymakers to consider allowing American drones to undertake operations from its soil against Pakistan or China.