Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to embark on a 3-day visit to the United Kingdom on January 8, aiming to strengthen strategic and security bonds between the two countries. The visit will explore potential collaboration for the joint development of fighter jets and various military platforms.
The Defence Ministry, in its announcement of the visit, traced that discussions between Mr Singh and his British counterpart, Grant Shapps, would cover a broad spectrum of topics, including defence, security, and industrial cooperation. Besides, the visit will include meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Minister David Cameron.
What will the visit consist of?
During the visit, apart from engaging in extensive discussions with his UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to participate in inspecting a ceremonial Guard of Honour. Additionally, he will visit the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in London. The itinerary also includes a community interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in the UK.
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Accompanied by a distinguished delegation comprising senior officials from the three services, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Department of Defence Production, the Defence Minister is set to engage in discussions with CEOs and industry leaders of the UK Defence Industry during his upcoming visit.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s talks with UK Defence Secretary Shapps would primarily focus on exchanging critical technology and expanding bilateral industrial defence cooperation. The expected discussions will cover collaborative efforts in the joint development of fighter aircraft and other military platforms. The agenda may include talks on the evolving situations in the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, and Ukraine.
Why is this visit of the defence minister important?
This visit holds paramount significance for the bilateral partnership in defence and security, given that the last ministerial-level visit occurred 22 years ago.
Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Strategy, emphasised the significance of the upcoming visit, stating, “This visit holds importance both in terms of optics and substance. Optically, it marks India’s Defence Minister’s first visit to the UK in 22 years, with the last visit made by the then Defence Minister of a previous BJP-led government, George Fernandes, to London on January 22 2002.”
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Mr Roy-Chaudhury, a prominent defence analyst advocating for such high-level visits, sees Mr Singh’s upcoming visit as a positive indication of the improving political relationship and trust-building between India and the UK.
In terms of substance, the visit aims to strengthen military cooperation and foster defence-industrial partnerships between India and the UK. While acknowledging that the UK is not currently among India’s top five strategic partners, he expressed optimism about the potential revival of a robust India-UK defence technological and industrial partnership.
This revival could manifest through ongoing projects involving aero-engines with Rolls-Royce, naval electric propulsion with GE (Naval) UK and Rolls-Royce, and ground-based air defence systems with MBDA (UK). Mr Roy-Chaudhury also suggested that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh might visit one of these arms manufacturing sites in the UK.
This visit is closely scrutinised, particularly in light of ongoing Indian concerns regarding pro-Khalistan violence in the UK and some unresolved legacy issues coupled with UK defence supplies to India. Despite these challenges, analysts emphasise that the ministerial-level dialogue provides an opportunity to concentrate on operationalising the Narendra Modi-led government’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ agenda within the defence sector.
With India and the UK heading into a general election this year, every facet of the relationship comes under intense scrutiny. This scrutiny extends to accelerated negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), anticipated to boost the existing GBP 36-billion bilateral partnership substantially.
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