NEW DELHI, Jan 7: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will embark on a two-day visit to the U.K. on January 8 to rejuvenate strategic and security ties between the two countries, including possible collaboration to jointly develop fighter jets and other military platforms.
The Defence Ministry, announcing the visit, said Mr. Singh and his British counterpart Grant Shapps are expected to discuss a wide range of issues in the spheres of defence, security and industrial cooperation. He is also expected to call on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister David Cameron.A high-level team made up of senior representatives from the Department of Defence Production, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the three services will accompany the Minister of Defence. The ministry released a statement saying, “He will also interact with the CEOs and industry leaders of the UK Defence Industry and meet with the Indian community there.” According to persons acquainted with the subject, Mr. Singh’s discussions with UK Defence Secretary Shapps will primarily centre on enhancing bilateral industrial defence cooperation and exchanging vital technologies.They claimed that discussions about cooperation in the joint development of fighter aircraft and other military platforms are anticipated between the two parties. They said that they also anticipate talking about the circumstances in West Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, and Ukraine. The significance of this visit to the bilateral defence and security collaboration is attributed to the fact that it is the first ministerial level visit in 22 years. The Indian side cancelled Mr. Singh’s scheduled June 2022 visit to the UK for “protocol reasons,” therefore the tour next week is much awaited.An increased India-UK defence relationship was agreed upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson in April 2022. Johnson declared that the UK is establishing an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) for India in order to “slash delivery times for defence procurement and reduce bureaucracy” while on a visit to that country. The British Prime Minister at the time also declared that India would get UK assistance in co-developing military gear, including the manufacture of fighter jets domestically.The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “transform” military and security cooperation as a fundamental tenet of the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, according to a statement released following the discussions between Modi and Johnson. The May 2021 virtual summit between Modi and Johnson saw the elevation of the India-UK relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. A 10-year plan to strengthen relations in the crucial areas of commerce and economics, security and defence, climate change, and people-to-people links was agreed upon at the summit.Both sides are also keen to expand cooperation in the maritime sphere. In June, 2021, the UK posted a liaison officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) which has emerged as a key hub in tracking movements of ships and other developments in the Indian Ocean region. The UK joined a select group of countries such as the US, Australia, Japan and France to depute officials at the Gurgaon-based facility. The Indian Navy established the IFC-IOR in 2018 to effectively keep track of the shipping traffic as well as other critical developments in the region under a collaborative framework with like-minded countries.“This visit is significant in terms of both optics and substance. In terms of the former, this is the first visit of India’s Defence Minister to the UK in 22 years – the last visit was by then Defence Minister of a previous BJP-led government, George Fernandes, to London on 22 January 2002,” said Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Strategy and Diplomacy at the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
As a defence analyst who has been championing such a visit in his high-level discussions over the years, Mr. Roy-Chaudhury believes Mr. Singh’s proposed upcoming visit indicates an improvement in India’s political relationship and the building of trust with the UK, following British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to India for the G20 Summit in September 2023.
“In substantive terms, the visit will seek to deepen military cooperation and defence industrial partnerships with the UK by building on the November 2023 Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting in Delhi at the level of Secretaries and the inaugural meeting of the 2+2 Foreign and Defence Dialogue at the level of Joint Secretaries in October 2023,” he said.
“The UK is no longer one of India’s top five strategic partners. However, the resumption of a strong India-UK defence technological and industrial partnership could take place through the delivery of ongoing projects on aero-engines with Rolls-Royce; naval electric propulsion with GE (Naval) UK and Rolls-Royce; and ground-based air defence system with MBDA (UK),” he said. “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to visit one of these arms manufacturing sites during his visit to the UK,” he noted.
It will be a keenly watched visit, taking place against the backdrop of ongoing Indian concerns over pro-Khalistan violence in the UK as well as some contentious legacy issues on UK defence supplies to India. However, analysts believe with this opportunity for a dialogue at the ministerial level, the focus should be on the operationalisation of the Narendra Modi-led government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ agenda in the defence sector.
As both India and the UK prepare for a general election this year, all aspects of the relationship are in sharp focus, including sped-up negotiations towards a free trade agreement (FTA) expected to significantly enhance the GBP 36-billion bilateral partnership. (Agencies)
