India, Germany reaffirm commitment to boost defence ties as key pillar of their strategic partnership

NEW DELHI: Signalling the intent to advance their strategic partnership, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Tuesday co-chaired the India-Germany High Defence Committee meeting with the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence, Jens Plotner. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said, The co-chairs reaffirmed commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation with a focus on developing defence ties as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership between India and Germany. They discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including priority areas for co-development & co-production of defence equipment, the MoD added. India and Germany celebrate 25 years of their strategic partnership this year. The strategic partnership has been strengthened through inter-governmental consultations since 2011 at the level of heads of government. They also exchanged views on the regional security situation and discussed intensifying bilateral exchanges including institution of military exercises. Germany will be participating in the next edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti (multinational air combat exercise) and Milan (multinational naval exercise) which is planned in 2026. In August 2024, as TNIE reported earlier, for the first time, Germany participated in an aerial exercise on Indian soil and its Eurofighter Typhoon carried out air manoeuvres. India seeks to boost strategic partnership with Germany as defence ministers meet in Delhi India is the 'First Responder' and 'Net Security Provider' for countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the MoD added. The Defence Secretary informed the visiting German delegation that India's approach to the region is guided by its vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement of Security and Growth Across Regions), it said. India has been working closely with countries in the IOR on a range of areas from development partnership, defence and maritime security, capacity building and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The German side acknowledged India's role in the Indian Ocean Region. The two sides emphasised the need for a closer defence partnership and connecting the industries of both nations, especially in niche technologies. India and Germany have a long-standing relationship underpinned by common values and shared goals. The importance of strengthening defence and security aspects of the relationship has increased manifold which reflects the mutual trust that has been nurtured across decades. In a boost to defence ties in August 2024, the Indian Naval Ship Tabar conducted a Maritime Passage Exercise (MPX) with Sea Lynx of the German Navy. Navies of India and Germany carry out advanced maritime operations