The United States had approved a $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment program to help the latter combat counter-terrorism threats.
The US administration has nodded in affirmation for a $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment program for Pakistan to assist it to meet present-day and future counterterrorism threats. The act is the first prominent security assistance to Pakistan in four years.
What Is The US Military Sale For Pak’s F-16 Fleet? Know Everything Here.
The action by the United States has experienced mixed reactions all over the world. While the United States helped to sustain Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, all eyes turned to India for its reaction.
What Does The United States Say About Its Approval?
Many US diplomats have been vocal about their thoughts on the act.
Donald Lu, a top US diplomat, has stated that the Biden administration is not offering any new weapons system and capability under the US 450 million F-16 fighter fleet sustainment program to Pakistan.
The Biden administration’s approval of the $450 million F-16 fighter fleet is an act to reverse a Trump-era order suspending security aid to Islamabad.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, expresses that the act is a worldwide policy of the US government to aid the defense equipment offered by the US to a country for the lifecycle of that particular system.
He clarified that in this case, it means maintenance and spare parts.
Moreover, he also stated that it is a sale, not an assistant. As per him, the US has proposed to offer to service of equipment and wings, so that these airplanes can meet the air safety standard.
Furthermore, he said that no new capabilities are weapons are offered.
When asked about how the United States would give a reaction to India’s possible criticism of the same, a US official stated that “both these relationships stand on their own and are not a zero-sum proposition”.
Some Pakistan specialists in the United States offered a viewpoint that was similar to the United States’ overall transactional viewpoint in conducting political, diplomatic, and security relations with other countries. These analysts expressed that this assistance is nothing but a reinforcement to the United States aphorism saying that “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”, abbreviated as TANSTAAFL.
Security Studies professor at Georgetown University in Washington and a Pakistan specialist, Christine Fair, stated that, “In all likelihood, the $450 million package to the PAF is payback for Islamabad providing information to Washington that resulted in al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri being eliminated by the US military in a dawn drone strike in downtown Kabul on July 31,”
What Does The US Assistance To Pakistan Mean For India?
While India has not expressed any official response to the US approval to a USD 450 million fleet-sustainment aid to Pakistan, Indian analysts are somewhat frowning upon the act.
“The US-financed upgrade of the PAF’s F-16 will considerably improve their serviceability, which to India’s advantage has been depreciating over the past few years,” expressed ex- Air Marshal V.K. ‘Jimmy’ Bhatia.
As per some Indian analysts, the upcoming upgrade, will not only make up but enhance the aging PAF F-16’s efficiency and component shortage. This would thereby give a boost to the Pakistan Air Force’s overall operational ability in comparison with that of the Indian Air Force, which is already seeing an overall combat squadron numbers reduction.
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