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News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
When US Sent Warships Against India: 1971 Flashback Resurfaces Amid Trump's Russia Rant
Last Updated: The 1971 Indo-Pak war ended with Pakistan's surrender and Bangladesh's birth, but not before the US sent warships to stop India On Tuesday, the Indian Army's Eastern Command posted a newspaper clipping on X from the days leading up to the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The caption blared in block letters: 'US ARMS WORTH $2 BILLION SHIPPED TO PAKISTAN SINCE '54." The timing of the post was unmistakable. Just a day earlier, US President Donald Trump accused India of helping fund Russia's war in Ukraine by buying discounted crude oil and selling it for profit. After already imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Trump threatened a further 'substantial hike". India hit back, calling the allegations 'unjustified and unreasonable." And then came the Army's quiet but pointed reminder of a very different American partnership, one that tried to block India's victory in 1971. Behind the reminder lies a chapter in global history that still rankles: the United States' open support for Pakistan during the 1971 war, including the deployment of a nuclear warship, covert diplomatic manoeuvres to pressure India, and a disturbing disregard for the genocide unfolding in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). When Pakistan Attacked, The US Took Its Side The Indo-Pak war broke out on December 3, 1971, when Pakistan launched pre-emptive air strikes on Indian airfields. India responded swiftly, and within 13 days, Pakistani troops surrendered in Dhaka, giving birth to the independent nation of Bangladesh. But between those two dates, the United States, then under President Richard Nixon and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, did everything it could to save Pakistan from military defeat. Washington's Cold War loyalties were clear. Pakistan was a key US ally, both as a member of military alliances like SEATO and CENTO, and more crucially, as a bridge to China. India, on the other hand, was seen as leaning towards the Soviet Union, despite its non-aligned credentials. This ideological divide shaped one of the most fraught episodes in US-India relations. The USS Enterprise And The 7th Fleet As the Indian Army advanced toward Dhaka and the Pakistani military began to crumble, Nixon and Kissinger ordered a dramatic naval manoeuvre. On December 10, 1971, the US Navy's 7th Fleet, operating under the name Task Force 74, was deployed to the Bay of Bengal as a show of strength in support of Pakistan. The task force was led by the USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, and included several other major assets: USS Tripoli (helicopter carrier) Guided missile cruisers and destroyers Supply and support ships The official rationale given by the US was to protect American citizens in the region. However, declassified documents, later published by the US National Security Archive, and accounts like Gary J. Bass's The Blood Telegram suggest the real objective was to intimidate India, break its naval blockade of East Pakistan, and bolster Pakistan's deteriorating military position. The White House wanted to prevent a total Pakistani collapse. They hoped the show of strength would pressure India to back down, or at least create space for a negotiated ceasefire that could save face for Pakistan. But India didn't flinch. Instead, it turned to its own ally. India Had The Soviets, And They Delivered Just months before the war, India had signed the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation. When the USS Enterprise entered the Indian Ocean, the Soviet Union responded with a naval deployment of its own. Multiple Soviet warships and nuclear submarines shadowed the US fleet. As military historians later recounted, the Soviet flotilla positioned itself between the American warships and Indian territory, creating a tense but decisive naval standoff. The American fleet did not escalate further. The war continued. And Pakistan surrendered in Dhaka on December 16. Had the Soviets not intervened, the presence of the 7th Fleet might have changed the outcome, or at least the cost of the war. US Double Game: Nudging China, Lying To India While sending its own warships to rattle India, the Nixon administration also tried to involve China, another Pakistani ally, against India. According to declassified documents released in 2005 by the US National Security Archive, Kissinger encouraged Beijing to consider military action against India, offering a veiled security guarantee. 'If the People's Republic were to consider the situation on the Indian subcontinent a threat to security… the US would oppose efforts of others to interfere with the People's Republic," Kissinger reportedly told Chinese officials. At the same time, Washington assured India that it would support New Delhi if China attacked. In one communication, US officials told Indian Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram that Washington would 'take a grave view of any Chinese move against India." Kissinger also told India's ambassador L.K. Jha that the US would offer 'all-out help" in the event of a 1962-style Chinese aggression. To critics, this was a duplicitous foreign policy, talking peace with India, while coordinating pressure with Pakistan and China. The Nixon-Kissinger Hostility The 1971 war wasn't just a policy divergence; it was also personal. Declassified transcripts show that both Nixon and Kissinger held deeply racist and misogynistic views toward Indian leaders. After then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Washington in November 1971 to urge American intervention against the genocide in East Pakistan, Kissinger dismissed her as a 'b*tch" and Nixon called Indians 'b*stards." The White House's hostility to India extended even to its own diplomats. When the US Consul General in Dhaka repeatedly warned Washington about the atrocities being committed by the Pakistani Army, the Nixon administration ignored or downplayed those reports in favour of Cold War calculations. A Legacy That Shaped India's View Of The US Why did Washington back Pakistan so aggressively? In short: China. At the time, the United States was secretly working to open diplomatic relations with communist China, a move that would reshape Cold War geopolitics. Pakistan's military ruler Yahya Khan was playing a key role as the intermediary between Washington and Beijing. To preserve that backchannel, President Nixon was determined to keep Pakistan on his side. Backing India, which was seen as leaning toward the Soviet Union, would have risked that plan. Instead, the Nixon administration threw its weight behind Pakistan, even as it faced global criticism for human rights violations in East Pakistan. That decision had long-term consequences. It damaged India's trust in the United States and contributed to a lingering sense of strategic caution in the relationship, even as bilateral ties improved in the years that followed. A Reminder In The Present The Indian Army's August 5, 2025 post comes not during a war, but a war of words. India responded by highlighting how its oil imports from Russia only increased after traditional suppliers in the West diverted shipments to Europe. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also pointed out that both the United States and European Union continue to import key goods from Russia, including uranium, palladium, and chemicals, while India's trade decisions are being singled out. 'In this background, the targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable. Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the MEA said in a statement. Memory As Strategy By invoking the 1971 betrayal, the Indian Army not only recalled a pivotal moment in history, but subtly underscored a consistent thread: India's sovereignty has often come under pressure not from enemies, but from supposed partners. top videos View all Back then, it was the USS Enterprise. Today, it's tariff threats and accusations. The means have changed, but the instinct to challenge India's independent decisions hasn't. And this time, India isn't just remembering. It's pushing back. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : 1971 India-Pakistan war donald trump India-US relations Indian Army view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 05, 2025, 16:22 IST News explainers When US Sent Warships Against India: 1971 Flashback Resurfaces Amid Trump's Russia Rant Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
When US armed Pakistan: Indian Army's throwback post after Trump's India funding Russia's war charge
At a time when US President Donald Trump has accused India of funding the Russian war on Ukraine, the Indian Army has shared newspaper clippings from 1971 with reports of US assistance to Pakistan ahead of the war in India. The United States sided with Pakistan in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. read more A US Navy SH-60 helicopter hovers off the bow of the USS Enterprise July 20, 1998, during a training exercise near Puerto Rico. The United States had deployed USS Enterprise and the 7th Fleet to intervene in the India-Pakistan War of 1971 on Pakistan's side. (Photo: Timothy Smith/US Navy/AFP) At a time when US President Donald Trump has accused India of funding the Russian war on Ukraine, the Indian Army has reminded the world of the US role against India in the India-Pakistan War of 1971. In a post on X, the Eastern Command of the Indian Army on Tuesday shared newspaper clippings from August 5, 1971, with reports of US military assistance to Pakistan at the time. In 1971, India and Pakistan fought a 13-day war in which India scored a decisive victory that led to the creation of the nation of Bangladesh that had until then been a part of Pakistan called East Pakistan. While the United States supported Pakistan ahead of the war —as news clippings shared by the Army show— it also supported Pakistan during the war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After Pakistan attacked India, formally starting the war on December 3, 1971, the United States came to the active military support of Pakistan and dispatched the 7th Fleet of the US Navy towards Indian shores to pressure India and break the blockade of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), led by the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. US support to Pakistan haunts India-US ties again In the Cold War, India and Pakistan were on the opposite camps. While Pakistan was aligned with the West led by the United States, India was aligned with the Soviet Union even though the country was formally non-aligned. In the India-Pakistan War of 1971, the United States and allies like the Shah of Iran helped Pakistan whereas the Soviet Union helped India. The US military intervention against India in 1971 tainted the India-US ties for decades and turned the public opinion in India against the United States for generations. Once India detected the US military movement, India reached out to the Soviet Union for help. The Soviet Union dispatched its own warships and submarines that shadowed and encircled US warships, forcing them to halt their mission and preventing any armed confrontation.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Admiral's promotion sunk amid criticism over years-old Navy drag show
Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly was nominated to command the Navy's Seventh Fleet. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked a Navy admiral's recently approved promotion and command assignment amid criticism over drag shows held aboard his aircraft carrier in the last decade. In mid-June, President Donald Trump nominated Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly, a F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot, for promotion to vice admiral and command of the Navy's strategically important 7th Fleet. The fleet, headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan, oversees around 50 to 70 ships while running the Navy's operations in the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans. The U.S. Senate approved Donnelly's nomination via voice vote alongside those of four other top Navy officers on June 29, according to But Hegseth, according to a senior defense official, has since withdrawn Donnelly's nomination for promotion and command. On July 10, the Navy declined to comment on Donnelly's status and referred questions to Hegseth's office. The official said Hegseth was thankful for Donnelly's service and wished him luck in his next position, adding the secretary was identifying a new nominee to head the 7th Fleet. Hegseth's office declined to provide USA TODAY with the secretary's rationale for changing his mind about Donnelly. The admiral did not immediately return a request for comment left with his staff. However, Donnelly came under fire from conservative influencers and media personalities because of drag show performances that occurred during his stint commanding the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier from 2016 to 2018. "He was an otherwise qualified admiral who sanctioned Navy-sponsored drag shows (with cash prizes) on the air craft carrier he commanded," conservative defense analyst William Thibeau said on X. Thibeau, who raised the drag show issue in 2023, argued the admiral "allowed a gross politicization of the military."
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
US, Philippines militaries conduct drills in waters adjacent to the China-claimed South China Sea
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The militaries of the U.S. and Philippines have carried out joint drills in waters adjacent to the South China Sea claimed by Beijing, amid a rising number of incidents between China and the Philippines in the vital Southeast Asian waterway. Participating in the maneuvers in the Sulu Sea this week were ships and aircraft from navies and coast guards, along with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. 7th Fleet responsible for the Asia-Pacific said in a statement. It said the drills included 'exercises in maritime domain awareness, division tactics, maneuvering' and search and seizure. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on the drills. In a new national map released in 2003, the Chinese government demarcated its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, with vague dash lines that drew protests and rejections from rival coastal governments, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. China has transformed seven disputed reefs into what are now missile-protected island bases, including Mischief Reef, which lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Sulu Sea lies inside that zone. China has ignored a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's extensive territorial claims based on historical grounds, and objects to activities by the U.S. military in the region — specifically those that challenge its island claims and threat to invade Taiwan, just north of the Sulu Sea. The U.S. lays no claims in the waters, but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts are in its core national interests. The U.S. also has a treaty obligating it to defend the Philippines if attacked and has been dispatching additional troops and weaponry to upgrade the island nation's ability to defend itself. China routinely harasses Philippine fishing boats in parts of the South China Sea, also within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (about 370 kilometers) from its coastline.
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
US, Philippines militaries conduct drills in waters adjacent to the China-claimed South China Sea
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The militaries of the U.S. and Philippines have carried out joint drills in waters adjacent to the South China Sea claimed by Beijing, amid a rising number of incidents between China and the Philippines in the vital Southeast Asian waterway. Participating in the maneuvers in the Sulu Sea this week were ships and aircraft from navies and coast guards, along with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. 7th Fleet responsible for the Asia-Pacific said in a statement. It said the drills included 'exercises in maritime domain awareness, division tactics, maneuvering' and search and seizure. There was no immediate comment from Beijing on the drills. In a new national map released in 2003, the Chinese government demarcated its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, with vague dash lines that drew protests and rejections from rival coastal governments, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. China has transformed seven disputed reefs into what are now missile-protected island bases, including Mischief Reef, which lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Sulu Sea lies inside that zone. China has ignored a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated China's extensive territorial claims based on historical grounds, and objects to activities by the U.S. military in the region — specifically those that challenge its island claims and threat to invade Taiwan, just north of the Sulu Sea. The U.S. lays no claims in the waters, but has declared that freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of the conflicts are in its core national interests. The U.S. also has a treaty obligating it to defend the Philippines if attacked and has been dispatching additional troops and weaponry to upgrade the island nation's ability to defend itself. China routinely harasses Philippine fishing boats in parts of the South China Sea, also within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (about 370 kilometers) from its coastline.
