Page 9 - ADT APRIL - MAY 2021 Online Magazine

of the sort that New Delhi has with a number
of other states…Maritime cooperation in the
Indo-Pacific is a concrete means for the two
countries to put their strategic partnership into
action since the UK and India have a shared [ ANALYSIS ]
interest in safeguarding the region’s sea lanes
and bolstering a rules-based regional order. In
particular, the two countries have longstand-
ing partnerships and strategic equities in the
western Indian Ocean region stretching from
Defence Technology recently that the company had held discus- Mumbai to the Persian Gulf. Not only does this
sions with the Indian Navy regarding the potential for a Military part of the world provide energy resources
Off the Shelf (MOTS) derivative of the Royal Navy’s 65,000-tonne to much of the globe, but it also contains a
Queen Elizabeth Class design, adapted to meet Indian require- number of small states that lack the ability to
ments. counter piracy, environmental challenges and
other non-traditional security threats in their
“THE UK CARRIER DESIGN HAS NOW BEEN waters. Thus, there is both an opportunity and
PROVEN AT SEA AND IS A NEAR MATCH TO a need for the UK and India to cooperate in
providing security, promoting development and
THE INDIAN NAVY’S REQUIREMENT FOR A enhancing sustainability in this region,” noted
65,000-TONNE CARRIER WITH INTEGRATED FULL Dr. Walter C. Ladwig III, a Senior Lecturer in
ELECTRIC PROPULSION (IFEP), THAT COULD BE International Relations in the Department of
CONSTRUCTED UNDER THE COUNTRY’S ‘MAKE IN War Studies at King’s College London.
INDIA’ PROGRAMME,” the BAE official said. Last December, British Foreign Secretary
Dominic Raab had identified India as a “major
strategic partner” in the post-Brexit era with
Joint Exercise with Carrier Battle Group the “rise of China” providing the context for
The UK Royal Navy’s Carrier Battle Group will visit India in autumn. closer strategic ties. British Prime Minister
India is the only navy in the region with active and combat-capable Boris Johnson is also looking at the possibil-
aircraft carrier(s), second only to the PLA Navy. During the visit, ity of the UK joining the Quad as part of its
India will hold joint war games with the largest Carrier Battle Group efforts to find a new global role in the wake of
since 1982, led by the mighty HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the Indo- it leaving the European Union. The Quad has
Pacific region. The aircraft carrier with the latest fifth-generation so far focused on conducting naval exercises
F-35 Lightning II fighter jets on-board will undertake her maiden as part of efforts by its four members -- the US,
voyage through the Indo-Pacific region. The scale and schedule India, Japan and Australia -- to come together
of the joint exercise are yet to be known. “The ship will conduct and counter China’s attempts to establish naval
a series of joint exercises with Indian Military Forces in the Indian supremacy in the region.
Ocean, expanding our interoperability and enhancing our capabil- Johnson has also been pushing the idea
ities to defend against shared threats and protect our democratic that the G7 should be expanded to form a new
values,” a UK government official informed. grouping D10 that would include India, Australia
and South Korea. According to The Times,
The HMS Queen Elizabeth, the most powerful surface vessel of the the D in the new grouping's name, though
Royal Navy, would be escorted by Type 45 guided missile destroy- not openly stated, would stand for democ-
ers — HMS Diamond and HMS Defender — Type 23 anti-submarine racy and is clearly intended as a counter to
warfare frigates HMS Richmond and HMS Kent, and the Royal Fleet China’s militarisation of the South China Sea
Auxiliary’s logistics ships Fort Victoria and Tidespring. Providing and expansionism in the Indian Ocean.
more firepower to the fleet will be an Astute-class nuclear-powered
submarine armed with Tomahawk ballistic missiles and Spearfish With India embarking on a massive defence
torpedoes. modernisation programme as most of its equip-
ment face obsolescence, the UK government
A Framework for Dialogue has an opportunity to step up its engagement
Under the Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP), with New Delhi. As the Committee on Foreign
the UK and India have formed six bilateral working groups as sub- Affairs observed, “the (India) relationship (is)
groups to the Defence Consultative Group. an important test case of the Global Britain
strategy. How successful the UK would be in
“Although India and the UK declared their relationship to be a ‘com- navigating the relationship would provide an
prehensive strategic partnership’ 16 years ago, they lack a regular early indication of its character as a post-Brexit
strategic dialogue between their respective defence ministers global actor. The world is watching.

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