In a move that will strengthen India’s defence ties with the United Kingdom, British defence minister Grant Shapps announced that London will send an aircraft carrier strike group to visit the Indian Ocean Region in 2025. It will also send a high-readiness littoral response group to the region in 2024. The announcement was made as defence minister Rajnath Singh made his first visit to the UK. It was also the first visit to the UK by an Indian defence minister in 20 years.
The two sides discussed the future of their defence partnership. New Delhi and London agreed to embark on more complex military exercises.
“There is absolutely no question that the world is becoming increasingly contested, so it’s vital that we continue to build on our strategic relationships with key partners like India. Together we share the same security challenges and are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a free and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” said UK defence minister Shapps, who has been in his current position since August 2023.
“Collaboration with industry is also key in the strategic defence partnership between the UK and India, with the two nations working together on electric propulsion systems that will power our future fleets and cooperating on the development of complex weapons,” he went on to say.
The two sides agreed to deepen instructor exchanges between office training colleges and specialist schools. They will also work on signing an agreement on logistics exchange for joint training, port visits and humanitarian assistance operations. New Delhi and London will also place greater emphasis on research and development for the development of next generation capabilities. Finally, they will also launched Defence Partnership-India, a “bespoke” office focused on pushing defence collaboration between the two sides.
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Published: 10 Jan 2024, 11:22 PM IST