India UK Defence Relations: Significance, Challenges and Way Forward

Context: 

This editorial is based on the news “Crafting a new phase in India UK defence relations” which was published in The Hindu. Recently, the Indian Defence Minister visited the United Kingdom (U.K.) after a gap of 22 years. 

• With this visit, the U.K. is both rediscovering and bolstering its military involvement and presence East of Suez, which it had considerably until the late 1960s.

India UK Defence Relations: Opportunity to Reorient Strategic Priorities

• China Factor: The growth of Chinese military power and its expansion into the Indian Ocean which threatens India and also Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs), on which the U.K. depends.
• Technology: The Indian Navy has several capability-related needs and the U.K. is in a position to help redress the Indian Navy’s technological gaps against the Chinese.
• Electrical Propulsion to Power Aircraft Carriers: The Indian Navy’s carriers, at present, are not powered by electric propulsion technology, however the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy (RN) use electric propulsion and the RN has mastered this technology.
  • The establishment of a joint working group dubbed the “India UK electric propulsion capability partnership” first met in February 2023 and thereafter a delegation-level discussion was held.
  • The U.K. has agreed to train, equip and help establish the infrastructure necessary to develop an electric propulsion system. 

Significance of Electric Propulsion

• The warships integrated with this capability produce a low acoustic signature by removing the link between the principal mover and propulsion. 
  • It enhanced electrical power generation for subsystems in major warships of the Indian Navy’s surface fleet.

Challenges in the India UK Relations

• Legacy Issues: Successive U.K. governments have simultaneously supplied India and Pakistan with weapons or curbed weapons exports, leaving many in India frustrated with British motives and objectives in the Subcontinent.
• Khalistan and Sikh Separatism: It is one of the major challenges in the relationship. 

Way Forward

• Understand Strategic Realities: With the rapid expansion of China in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), there is a need for closer defense ties between the U.K. and India.
• Collaboration: The U.K. officially declared that they will be deploying a littoral response group, a specialized amphibious warfare group in 2024 and carrier strike group in 2025 to train and increase interoperability with the Indian Navy.
  • Several joint military exercises have already taken place between the two countries.