US Golden eye on VIP planes

Bangalore: An American Golden Sentry will inspect aircraft that will fly the Indian President, Prime Minister, defence minister and very important persons to verify that the planes are not being misused.
The head of the US military sales agency disclosed here today that India has signed an End-User Verification Agreement (EUVA) for three Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) that it bought recently for the country’s rulers. The third BBJ was delivered last month to the Indian Air Force’s Headquarters Communications Squadron — as the VVIP squadron is called.
The EUVA is implemented through the Golden Sentry programme governed by the US defence department (the Pentagon) and the Blue Lantern programme governed by the state department. All direct foreign military sales are monitored by the Golden Sentry.
This week, India is also expected to present a new draft for an omnibus end-use and enhanced end-use verification programme, the Pentagon’s chief military sales officer and head of its defence security co-operation agency, Vice Admiral Jeffrey A. Wieringa, said here today.
The Left had strongly objected to the EUVA when it partnered the UPA coalition and remains opposed to it even now. It alleges that India is signing away authority to the US that a sovereign country ought not to. After his US visit, Antony had said no contentious issue was discussed.
Wieringa also confirmed that the Golden Sentry had applied to and would apply to all military sales authorised by the US defence department to India. US inspection teams verify that the military platforms it has exported are being used for their stated purposes every year. Much of this involves on-site verification.
The cabinet committee on security has been looking into the EUV deal, a logistics support agreement and a communications interoperability security agreement, for two years. A forward movement was confirmed only today.
India has never disclosed that it had already entered into separate EUV agreements for each of its military acquisitions from the US.
10/02/09 Sujan Dutta/The Telegraph

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2009, Safety Feb 2009