“Et Tu Brute” – so goes the expression. It seemed this way when news broke that an American company has now interfaced with senior officials of Pakistan’s military establishment for supplying power systems related to drones.
More interestingly, media reports mention that the drone company is co-founded by an ex-Israeli military official. Due to unavailability of information on type of drones and quantities to be supplied to Pakistani military, it is difficult to ascertain their exact nature of deployment.
The vagueness of the modalities of this drone deal has the potential to raise suspicion even more. Perusal of the company’s website shows that it has an assortment of drones which are used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities. It also has drones which are capable of performing logistical tasks and uncrewed surface vessels for maritime use cases.
Deploying intelligence and surveillance drones to Pakistan directly amplifies national security threats, particularly given the ongoing misuse of drone technology along India’s borders
Some Tough Questions are Worth Asking
It is difficult to reconcile to the fact that this deal be seen as merely a sheer business endeavour of an American company, especially when its representatives are meeting the top security brass of Pakistan’s military establishment.
Would the American Embassy in Islamabad not have any heads-up about such a meeting between the company representatives and Pakistan’s military leadership? Unlikely. So therefore, the question that begets is, are the Americans trying to send a feeler to India to fall in line with them on various trade and geopolitical issues through this deal?
Or does this drone related deal signify the sheer bruteness of the new Trump Administration, trying to convey that it is not concerned about the long-term implications of such a move on its bilateral relations with India?
From an Israeli perspective too, this drone deal generates quite a lot of questions. If one of the co-founders of this company is an Israeli military veteran, as reports indicate, then does it indicate that it has the subtle blessings of the Israeli Government?
India must urgently review existing defence trade arrangements and convey firm diplomatic displeasure to both the US and Israel regarding these disconcerting developments
Any defence analyst worth the salt is bound to pose this question. From an Israeli perspective, are they viewing this drone deal between the US company and Pakistan as an instrument to keep a check on Iran?
Even if that is not the case, and this deal was a purely corporate endeavour of a company, then too basic security vetting is generally conducted. Considering that corporate professionals with military background are more conscious of their affairs given their relatively enhanced understanding of geopolitical sensitivities, it is quite a disconcerting development as to how did this deal fructify?
In either case, the drone related deal must prompt India, and its defence and dual use technology companies to completely review its security mechanisms when dealing with foreign partners. In future, Indian companies and entities will need to exercise more caution while hiring several Israeli & US security contractors and consultants for their various security projects.
Implications of the Drone Deal and Long-term Lessons for India
Americans have always played it dicey in Asia, shifting their military cooperation arrangements according to geopolitical preferences and many a times driven by sheer profit.
Future partnerships require Indian entities to embed strict legal clauses preventing foreign contractors from engaging in activities detrimental to India’s security interests
If the United States continues to supply Pakistan with defence drones, common sense dictates that there is a high chance of these being used in a future conflict with India.
Already, Pakistan-based terrorist groups have extensively used drones to smuggle narcotics and other illicit items into India’s western border.
In light of the above development, India must undertake a thorough security audit of all its current defence technology trade and innovation activities with United States. This deal must also act as a solid reference point for the Indian Government while firming-up future defence cooperation arrangements with the United States.
At the respective levels of bilateral engagement with both United States and Israel, there is a need for the Indian Government to certainly convey its displeasure about this drone deal, which has the potential of sowing seeds of immense, long-term suspicion.
There is a need for collaborating with foreign countries to understand the drone and counter-drone space better. However, in light of this defence drone deal, it is safe to say that India and Indian companies must learn to exercise additional caution when it comes to joint innovation endeavours and business arrangements.
Expanding facilities like the Indian Army’s cybersecurity evaluation centres is critical to thoroughly vet foreign drone hardware and mitigate operational risks
At a long-term level, this drone deal also presents key pointers for Indian companies to explore putting in place key legal clauses which precludes its foreign partners from pursuing acts which could prove to be detrimental for India’s security.
A good way to start would be if national level deliberations can be convened involving industry stakeholders, members of the innovation community and security officials to map security risks of collaborating with foreign defence drone companies.
Such deliberations must also be used as platform to educate industry and innovation stakeholders, about geopolitical risks and conduct security sensitisation while pursuing collaboration with foreign defence companies.
The Indian Army has recently established a facility to evaluate electronic components used in defence systems, including drones, for their cybersecurity robustness.
The scope and mandate of such institutions must be expanded to undertake a more holistic security evaluation of drone and counter-drone platforms sourced from foreign partners that have the potential to pose risks and create operational hindrances.
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(The writer is an Assistant Professor at the Subhas Chandra Bose Chair of International Relations at Chanakya University, Bengaluru
Dr Sanket Kulkarni is a Defence Analyst and comments on Drone warfare, Defence & Aerospace manufacturing strategy and Geopolitics. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
