Context: Recently, the Indian Defence Minister visited the United Kingdom for bilateral talks.

Key Highlights of Defense Minister UK Visit: Defense R&D Collaboration Between India and UK

• MoU for Bilateral Cadet Exchange:  A  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a bilateral international cadet exchange program was signed.
• Defence Collaboration in R&D: A Letter of Arrangement (LoA) on defense collaboration in Research and Development was signed between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

Defense Collaboration Between India and UK

• India and UK elevated their relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership in 2004.

• At Highest Political Level: 

  • Inaugural  meeting of the ‘2+2’ foreign and defense dialogue at the Joint Secretary- Director General-level, took place in 2023.
  • Defence Consultative Group meeting at Permanent Secretary-level was held in November 2023. 
  • Prime Ministers of both countries during the G20 summit in New Delhi 2023, agreed to build ‘a modern partnership in cutting-edge defense technology, trade and innovation’. 
• India-UK 2030 Roadmap: A  ten-year bilateral plan for prioritization and raising ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. 
  • Defense and Security cooperation  as one of five pillars of the roadmap.

• Joint Exercises between India and UK at the 3 services level:

  • Exercise Ajeya Warrior: Bilateral military exercise.
  • Exercise Konkan: An annual naval exercise 
  • Ex Cobra Warrior: In March 2023, the Indian Air Force participated in this multinational air exercise in the UK.

• Steps taken by the UK: 

  • Issued an India-specific open general-export license – the first given to an Indo-Pacific country – to permit exports of certain military and dual-use goods and technology. 
  • Launched  a new organization  called Defence Partnership India to build bilateral defense ties headed by their defense minister.

• Joint Collaboration: 

• • Co-development of gas-turbine propulsion technology by Rolls-Royce and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the next generation of Indian fighter-aircraft engines, where India will own the intellectual property as well as export-approval authority.
  • Partnership  for naval electric propulsion between the Indian government and GE (Naval), UK, and Rolls-Royce
  • Procurement of ground-based air defense systems from MBDA (UK). 

The ‘Three-I’ challenge:

• Positive intentions regarding British–Indian defence cooperation have often been derailed by the ‘three-I’ challenge posed by Indian rules and regulations pertaining to 
  • Foreign investment.
  • Intellectual-property rights and 
  • Indigenous-content requirements.

Conclusion

India and the U.K. are both trying to carve out their new identities on the global stage and their strategic convergence has allowed for the possibility of reimagining the future of their partnership.

News Source: The Hindu