Rajnath Singh’s UK visit first by Indian Defence Minister in 22 years

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is about to embark upon a three-day go to to the UK from Monday, seen as vital to the bilateral partnership within the sphere of defence and safety because the final ministerial degree go to happened 22 years in the past. Singh’s beforehand deliberate go to to the UK in June 2022 was referred to as off by the Indian facet for “protocol causes”, making subsequent week’s tour a extremely anticipated one.

Apart from wide-ranging talks together with his UK counterpart, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, Singh is anticipated to examine a ceremonial Guard of Honour and undertake visits to Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar memorials in London.

A neighborhood interplay with members of the Indian diaspora within the UK can be anticipated to be a part of his three-day itinerary. “This go to is important by way of each optics and substance. By way of the previous, that is the primary go to of India’s defence minister to the UK in 22 years – the final go to was by then defence minister of a earlier BJP-led authorities, George Fernandes, to London on 22 January 2002,” stated Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Technique and Diplomacy on the London-based assume tank Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research (IISS).

As a defence analyst who has been championing such a go to in his high-level discussions through the years, Roy-Chaudhury believes Singh’s proposed go to subsequent week signifies an enchancment in India’s political relationship and the constructing of belief with the UK following British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s go to to India for the G20 Summit in September final yr.

“In substantive phrases, the go to will search to deepen navy cooperation and defence industrial partnerships with the UK by constructing on the November 2023 Defence Consultative Group (DCG) assembly in Delhi on the degree of Secretaries and the inaugural assembly of the two+2 International and Defence Dialogue on the degree of Joint Secretaries in October 2023,” he stated. “The UK is now not considered one of India’s prime 5 strategic companions. Nevertheless, the resumption of a powerful India-UK defence technological and industrial partnership may happen by way of the supply of ongoing initiatives on aero-engines with Rolls-Royce; naval electrical propulsion with GE (Naval) UK and Rolls-Royce; and ground-based air defence system with MBDA (UK),” he stated. “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is prone to go to considered one of these arms manufacturing websites throughout his go to to the UK,” he famous.

It will likely be a keenly watched go to, going down towards the backdrop of ongoing Indian considerations over pro-Khalistan violence within the UK in addition to some contentious legacy points on UK defence provides to India.

Nevertheless, analysts imagine with this chance for a dialogue on the ministerial degree, the main target needs to be on the operationalisation of the Narendra Modi-led authorities’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat agenda within the defence sector.

An enhanced India-UK defence partnership dates again to the April 2022 Indian go to of former prime minister Boris Johnson, who introduced the creation of an Open Common Export Licence (OGEL) for India which the UK authorities stated would “cut back forms” and assist in “slashing supply instances for defence procurement”.

As each India and the UK put together for a common election this yr, all facets of the connection are in sharp focus, together with sped-up negotiations in the direction of a free commerce settlement (FTA) anticipated to considerably improve the GBP 36-billion bilateral partnership.