New Delhi: India and Kuwait held the inaugural meeting of their Joint Defence Committee in New Delhi on Friday, opening a formal channel to expand cooperation in training, military exercises, military medicine, staff talks, defence industry and research and development.
The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad from the Indian side and Brigadier General Raed Alsakran, who headed a five-member Kuwaiti delegation. Representatives of the three armed services, the Department of Defence Production, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the Armed Forces Medical Services and the Ministry of External Affairs participated from India.
The two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral defence engagement across the identified areas. The committee provides an institutional mechanism for translating the broader political understanding between the countries into a programme of practical defence activity, including professional exchanges and possible industrial collaboration.
The meeting marked an important step in implementing the memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024. That visit also elevated the bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, creating a wider framework for engagement beyond the countries’ longstanding economic and community links.
Ahead of the talks, Brigadier General Alsakran laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and paid homage to fallen soldiers. The Kuwaiti delegation also visited DPSU Bhawan, where it held discussions with representatives of the Indian defence industry on potential areas of cooperation. A further industry interaction was scheduled for the second day of the delegation’s visit.
The inclusion of military medicine, staff talks and research alongside training and exercises indicates that the committee is intended to address both operational and institutional cooperation. Staff-level contacts can help the services identify areas where exchanges are feasible, while military medicine offers scope for sharing practices in trauma care, field health and specialist training.
Defence industry and research discussions are also significant as India seeks to expand its role as a supplier and development partner. The participation of the Department of Defence Production and DRDO gives the dialogue a direct link to India’s public and private defence ecosystem. Any future project, however, would depend on mutually agreed requirements, technical evaluation and the regulatory processes of both countries.
India and Kuwait established diplomatic relations in 1962 and have maintained close ties shaped by trade, energy links and the presence of a large Indian community in the Gulf country. The strategic partnership announced in 2024 gave the relationship a higher-level structure, with defence cooperation becoming one of its important pillars.
The Gulf region is central to India’s energy security, commercial interests and the welfare of millions of Indian citizens living abroad. Regular defence dialogue with partner countries in the region supports maritime awareness, professional contacts and the ability to coordinate on shared concerns without being tied to a single activity.
The first committee meeting did not announce a specific exercise or procurement decision. Its immediate outcome was the agreement to deepen engagement across a defined range of fields. Future staff talks and institutional exchanges will determine how quickly those priorities are converted into concrete programmes.
