INDIA’S chief of defence staff, General Anil Chauhan, was in London earlier this week for talks on military training, operations and defence industry partnerships between India and the UK.
General Chauhan, who arrived for a three-day visit last Sunday (19), was hosted by Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.
Lindy Cameron, the British high commissioner to India, said, “General Chauhan’s landmark visit shows the trust and ambition driving the UK-India defence partnership. We are stepping up cooperation to strengthen interoperability, spur innovation and support a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.
“From joint training and defence industry cooperation to strategic dialogue, we are moving faster and closer, because India is a key defence partner for the UK. We will continue to build on this momentum in the months ahead.”
On Monday, General Chauhan led a roundtable at King’s College London, steering discussions on advances in defence technology, the Indian High Commission said in a social media post.
Meetings with representatives of the British defence industry were also on the agenda as General Chauhan sought to progress talks on greater defence co-production between the two countries. He met minister of state for defence readiness and industry Luke Pollard and minister for the Indo-Pacific, Seema Malhotra on Monday to advance key pillars of the India–UK partnership.
Their discussions focused on the evolving security landscape, defence cooperation, defence industrial roadmap, and collaboration in cyber, intelligence and space, alongside joint efforts to address challenges in the IndoPacific, the Indian High Commission added.
This is the first official visit by an Indian Chief of Defence Staff to the UK and follows a series of senior India-UK military engagements this year.
UK Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth visited India last month.
India and the UK launched a 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap under the Vision 2035 agreement to support growth, strengthen security and contribute to international stability.
The UK Ministry of Defence has since set up a dedicated programme office, Defence Partnership-India (DP-I) to drive bilateral defence collaboration.
