How India fought the US for the ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ which foiled Pakistan's attack

On Thursday, India foiled multiple attacks from Pakistan.

First there was the attack in the early hours of Thursday in which Pakistan targeted 15 locations in northern and western India.

Then there was the attack on with missiles and drones in Jammu and other locations late on Thursday.

The heart of India’s defences was the Triumf S-400 air defence system – which Indian officials have nicknamed the ‘Sudarshan Chakra.’

Interestingly, India went up against the US in order to purchase the S-400 on Russia.

Let’s take a closer look:

What we know

India had in 2018 agreed to purchase five Triumf squadrons – each comprising 16 vehicles – from Russia at a cost of $5 billion (Rs 35,000 crore).

Manufactured by Russia’s Almaz-Antey corporation, the Triumf is famed for being one of the world’s best surface-to-air missile systems.

It is even used by China – which first purchased it in 2014.

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However, the US spent years pressuring India not to go through with the deal.

As per Business Today, the US in 2018 warned that India could potentially face sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (Caatsa) for its purchase of the S-400.

The Caatsa was passed into law in August 2017 – during President Donald Trump’s first term.

It levied sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea and countries doing business with them.

This was the result of Russia annexing of Crimea in 2014 and allegedly meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

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When it came to Russia, it specifically imposed sanctions on those buying major hardware from Moscow.

Washington instead tried to sell India its MIM-104 Patriot and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems.

The US claimed that Russian hardware would undermine defence interoperability between the two nations.

What did India do?

As per The Tribune, India in September 2018 signed the Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement (Comcasa) agreement with the US.

The deal allowed for military information to be shared in real-time between the two nations.

Then, in October 2018, India ignored the warnings from the US and signed the S-400 deal with Russia.

“Both sides welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system to India,” the joint statement after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin read.

India also had its counter-argumen t ready for the US.

Nirmala Sitharaman, who was the Defence Minister at the time, said, “We have told the US Congress delegation (that visited India) that it is a US law and not a UN law.”

Asked if the law did not apply to India, Sitharaman responded, “Of course, it does not.”

The US went on the defensive immediately.

“The intent of Caatsa is to impose costs on Russia and is not intended to impose damage to the military capabilities of our allies (India)… The waiver authority is not a blanket waiver. Waivers are considered on transaction basis. We cannot prejudge any sanction decisions,” its statement read.

The US in December 2020 imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Caatsa for buying the S-400 from Russia.

But India wasn’t deterred.

How India stood up to the US

As per Business Today, India simply refused to back down.

Officials said no foreign law could influence India’s decision given the prevailing scenario with Pakistan and China.

Officials thought that the S-400 would be key to India protecting and controlling its airspace.

The S-400’s performance over the past couple of days has proved that India made the right decision.

India’s purchase of the S-400 is also relevant in light of the fact that Russia remains the biggest weapon supplier to India.

As per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia still comprises over a third (36 per cent) of India’s arms imports.

Aftermath

In January 2022,  the United States House of Representatives passed an amendment granting India a waiver from Caatsa sanctions.

The historic amendment was written and introduced by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna.

Khanna said, “The United States must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China. As Vice Chair of the India Caucus, I have been working to strengthen the partnership between our countries and ensure that India can defend itself along the Indian Chinese border. This amendment is of the utmost importance, and I am proud to see it pass the House on a bipartisan basis.”

“My bipartisan NDAA amendment marks the most significant piece of legislation for US-India relations out of Congress since the US-India nuclear deal.”

However, the US Senate is yet to pass the amendment.

With inputs from agencies