India and the United Kingdom have agreed to expand exchanges between their armed forces and deepen defence industrial cooperation, including research and development, following the 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group meeting in New Delhi on August 21.
The meeting was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the United Kingdom’s Permanent Under Secretary for Defence, Jeremy Pocklington. The two sides reviewed existing defence cooperation and placed particular emphasis on research and development under the India-UK Vision 2035 and the ten-year Defence Industrial Roadmap.
The discussion covered plans to increase bilateral military engagement through joint exercises, training and capacity-building activities. These measures are intended to give the armed forces of both countries more opportunities to work together, improve professional exchanges and build practical familiarity across different areas of defence cooperation.
Maritime security remained a prominent part of the talks. India and the UK acknowledged their continuing collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, including the establishment of a Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. The proposed centre is part of a wider effort to support cooperation, expertise and capacity in a strategically important maritime region.
Both delegations also exchanged assessments of regional peace and security. They reaffirmed their commitment to mutual security and strategic autonomy, while describing the bilateral strategic partnership as being based on peace, stability, freedom and mutual respect.
The meeting took place as India and the UK seek to translate their broader strategic relationship into more sustained work between defence institutions and industry. The ten-year industrial roadmap provides a framework for cooperation that can include technology, research, manufacturing and partnerships between the two countries’ defence ecosystems. The latest review focused on maintaining momentum and identifying areas where institutional and military contacts can be strengthened.
This was Pocklington’s first visit to India in his present capacity. During the visit, he laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and visited Gandhi Smriti and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He also held a bilateral interaction with Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani, adding a senior military-level exchange to the official programme.
The Defence Consultative Group is an established mechanism for reviewing bilateral defence ties and setting priorities for future engagement. Its latest meeting brought together industrial cooperation, military exchanges and maritime security within a single framework, reflecting the increasing breadth of the relationship.
The immediate follow-up will centre on implementing the agreed expansion of exercises, training and capacity building, alongside further work under the Vision 2035 and Defence Industrial Roadmap frameworks. No specific new procurement contract or operational deployment was announced at the meeting.
The outcome nevertheless signals that both governments intend to continue building a practical defence partnership, with research, industrial collaboration and interoperability receiving sustained attention alongside consultations on regional security.
