India–UK Defense Ties, Cooperation, Joint Exercises

Context: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for a two-day visit to the U.K. aimed at enhancing strategic and security relations, including potential joint development of fighter jets and military platforms.

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About India-UK Defence Ties

• Post-Independence Defence Policy: India adopted the Non-Aligned Movement post-1947 independence to avoid Cold War entanglements.
• Strategic Partnership Initiation: In 2004, India and the U.K. commenced a strategic partnership, post-Cold War.
• High-Level Dialogues: They established annual summits and meetings for heads of government and foreign ministers to discuss cooperation in areas like anti-terrorism, civil nuclear initiatives, and space programs.
• Common Security Challenges: Both nations face similar security threats, such as terrorism and extremism, necessitating a strengthened defence cooperation.
• Defence Cooperation Commitment: The cooperation includes capacity building, technology exchange, military exercises, and intelligence sharing.
• ‘Make in India’ Engagement: The U.K. supports India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, especially in the defence sector, where there’s potential for growth.
• Defence Industry Collaboration: Approximately 70 U.K. defence companies supply parts for Indian military aircraft and support maintenance for legacy fleets.
• 2015 Defence Partnership Agreement: The visit by the Indian PM in 2015 led to an agreement on a new Defence and International Security Partnership focusing on cyber security and maritime security.
• Maritime Engagement Increase: The U.K.’s deployment of the Carrier Strike Group in the Indian Ocean aligns with its Indo-Pacific strategic focus.

Joint Exercises Between India- UK and Visits

• Ex Ajeya Warrior: A biennial India-UK bilateral military exercise. The 7th edition took place in April-May 2023 in the UK, focusing on Army team collaboration.
• Exercise Konkan: An annual naval exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Navy (RN), conducted in March 2023 off the Konkan coast to enhance maritime cooperation.
• Ex Cobra Warrior: In March 2023, the Indian Air Force participated in this multinational air exercise in the UK with other global forces.
• Visits of UK Royal Navy Ships: HMS Lancaster and HMS Tamar visited Kochi and Chennai in March 2023, encouraging Navy-to-Navy interaction.
• Visit of INS Tarangini: The Indian naval training ship visited the UK and Gibraltar in August-September 2022 as part of a deployment commemorating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

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