F-16 fleet sustainment programme not designed as a message to India: Pentagon official

On September 8, the Biden administration decided to reverse the Trump administration’s decision to suspend military assistance to Islamabad for providing safe havens for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network by approving a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme for Pakistan.

The US has stated that its choice to give Pakistan’s F-16 fleet a USD 450 million maintenance package is not intended as a message to India, but rather is connected to Washington’s defence alliance with Islamabad, which is largely centred on counterterrorism and nuclear security.

India has voiced its disapproval of the US’s plan to give Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jet force a support package.

The State Department approved a potential foreign military aid for sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 450 million in a notification to the US Congress, stating that this will maintain Islamabad’s capacity to address present and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet.

On September 14, Singh expressed India’s concerns to US Defense Secretary Austin on Washington’s choice to give Pakistan’s F-16 fighter with the support package.

“We have been engaging with our Indian counterparts, both in advance of the announcement to preview it and during my visit with Assistant Secretary (Donald) Lu in Delhi as well. So we thought it was quite important to be as transparent as we could with Indian counterparts both in advance and during that decision and it provided a good opportunity to have a healthy exchange on both the US rationale for its limited security partnership with Pakistan as well as a good opportunity to hear India’s concerns about that,” Ratner said.

Dr. Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs also added that the recent US move with Pakistan on F-16 is not intended to send any kind of message to India on its relations with Russia.