Intensification of Military Ties with Africa Important, says Defence Secretary

Ahead of the India- Africa Forum Summit– IV expected to take place later this year, for the first time there will be an India-Africa Defence Conclave at the DefExpo 2020 on February 6.

Briefing the media ahead of the Expo, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar “The Defence Cooperation with Africa is becoming an important part of our relationship. Around 14 ministers from the African continent have confirmed their participation and the numbers are expected to go up. Another 24 ministers have indicated their keenness to be part of the conclave.”

The focus of the interaction with the African ministers would be on intensifying military cooperation.

India-Africa Military & Maritime Cooperation

India’s approach to maritime cooperation with Africa is based on its central security concerns in African waters. And through offers of military aid, capacity building, and training assistance, it has reached out to the African nations.

In its 2015 Maritime Strategy document, India has outlined its policy towards the countries in the Western Indian Ocean region. The policy has not only expanded but has also been diversified into a broad-based security approach.

This includes the sharing of best practices to build capacity through training, transfer of naval hardware and logistical support, naval intelligence, joint military exercises and patrolling of seas. And complete with radars and surveillance gear for monitoring maritime communications, it has developed listening stations and posts which are essentially monitoring stations.

In an effort to counter China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), India is working on the expansion of its own and IOR littoral countries’ naval capabilities and security partnerships. The focus is especially on Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, and Comoros.

Efforts are also on by the Indian Navy to secure key maritime ‘chokepoints’ at the entrances to the Indian Ocean, like Bab-el-Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, and the Mozambique Channel.

With the African continent already getting crowded with various big countries increasing their presence there, the time is ripe for India-Africa Partnership which has acquired a strategic dimension.

Source: FE

Image Courtesy: Tralac