Britain too in Indo-Pacific for Joint Patrol with India

Rajnath Singh signs deal in London, meets Sunak

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday called on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London and discussed various issues related to defence and economic cooperation between the two countries. The leaders also discussed how India and the UK could work together to strengthen a peaceful and stable global rules-based order.

Notably, this is the first time in the last 20 years that a sitting Indian Defence Minister visited the UK. Sharing pictures of the meet, Rajnath Singh took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Had a very warm meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak in London. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him. We discussed issues pertaining to defence, economic cooperation and how India and UK could work together for strengthening a peaceful and stable global rules-based order.”

Before this significant meeting today, the UK on January 10, announced a major initiative in defense cooperation with India, planning to deploy its high-readiness Littoral Response Group to the Indian Ocean region in 2024 and the Carrier Strike Group in 2025. These deployments are designed to conduct joint training operations and will involve collaboration with Indian forces. This announcement came during the historic visit of Indian Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh to the UK, highlighting the deepening strategic relationship between the two countries.

The deployment of the UK’s naval groups to the Indian Ocean is crucial for India. It marks an advancement in India’s defense capabilities, particularly in naval warfare and strategic defense. This initiative is a part of the wider strategic partnership between the UK and India, in line with the 2030 roadmap, and underscores a shared commitment to maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

In addition, the partnership extends to technological and educational exchanges. It includes developments in electric propulsion systems and instructor exchanges, which will benefit India’s defense technology sector and training infrastructure. The logistics exchange agreement will also facilitate smoother joint operations, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, vital for a region frequently affected by natural disasters.

During the visit, UK and India also confirmed several new joint initiatives. These include:

1. Launching Defence Partnership-India – a bespoke office designed to further defence collaboration between the two countries. 
2. A commitment to several instructor exchanges between our world-leading Officer Training Colleges and specialist schools, alongside signing of a Youth Exchange MOU to solidify the already strong relationship between our cadet organisations.
3. Signing a Letter of Arrangement that will enable further emphasis to be placed on research and development between our two nations, focused on next-generation capabilities.
4. Solidifying an agreement on logistics exchange, allowing for the provision of logistic support, supplies and services between the United Kingdom and Indian Armed Forces, for joint training, joint exercises, authorised port visits and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

Observers feel, this plan symbolizes a significant commitment to the UK-India defense relationship, enhancing India’s strategic position and its role in global defense and security matters.