India, U.K. review defence ties, focus on R&D and industrial cooperation
India and the UK held the 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting in New Delhi, led by India's Defence Secretary and the UK's Permanent Under Secretary for Defence
Both sides reviewed progress on defence industrial cooperation under the India-UK Vision 2035 and the associated ten-year Defence Industrial Roadmap, with emphasis on joint research and development
The two countries agreed to expand engagement between their armed forces through joint exercises, training, and capacity-building initiatives
Maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific was also discussed, including collaboration through the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative
The meeting follows the recent launch of the India-UK Autonomous Platforms and Uncrewed Systems Working Group at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, and the 15th Executive Steering Group meeting held in London in June 2026
The Defence Consultative Group (DCG) — Structure and Standing in India's Bilateral Defence Architecture
The DCG is India's oldest formal bilateral defence dialogue mechanism with the UK and needs to be distinguished from India's newer, higher-level 2+2 dialogues.
Key Details
- The India-UK DCG was constituted in 1995 and is held alternately in India and the UK; the 25th meeting (August 2026) reflects roughly three decades of institutionalised defence dialogue
- The DCG operates at the Defence Secretary/Permanent Secretary (bureaucratic) level, focused on defence industrial cooperation, R&D, and procurement issues
- This is distinct from the India-UK 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue (foreign and defence ministers together), which India held with the UK for the first time in October 2023 — a higher, more strategic-level mechanism
- India currently holds 2+2 ministerial dialogues with only four countries: the US, Australia, Japan, and the UK, making the UK's inclusion since 2023 a marker of the relationship's elevation
The 25th DCG meeting is a working-level, industry-and-R&D-focused mechanism operating underneath the broader 2+2 ministerial framework — illustrating how India structures bilateral defence ties across multiple tiers, from ministerial strategic dialogue down to defence-secretary level implementation bodies.
India-UK Vision 2035 and the Ten-Year Defence Industrial Roadmap
These are the specific strategic documents driving the current phase of India-UK defence industrial cooperation, replacing/supplementing the earlier Roadmap 2030.
Key Details
- The original India-UK Roadmap 2030, agreed in May 2021, elevated bilateral ties to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" across five broad pillars (people-to-people, trade/economy, defence/security, climate, and health)
- Vision 2035 and its accompanying ten-year Defence Industrial Roadmap represent a further, defence-specific deepening beyond the general Roadmap 2030 framework, with explicit focus on joint R&D and industrial-scale co-production
- The newly launched India-UK Autonomous Platforms and Uncrewed Systems Working Group (Farnborough International Airshow, 2026) operationalises this roadmap in a concrete technology area — autonomous, uncrewed, and underwater systems
- This structure mirrors India's approach with other key defence partners (e.g., the India-US roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, INDUS-X), reflecting a broader shift from platform purchases to co-development and joint manufacturing
The DCG's stated focus on R&D "under" Vision 2035 and the Ten-Year Roadmap shows India moving its UK defence relationship from a buyer-seller arms relationship toward the co-development model it is simultaneously pursuing with the US and France.
Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence
The maritime-security strand of the DCG discussions ties back to India's flagship Indo-Pacific maritime cooperation framework, a recurring UPSC theme.
Key Details
- The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) was proposed by the Indian Prime Minister at the 14th East Asia Summit on November 4, 2019; it is a non-treaty-based, open framework extending India's 2015 SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine
- IPOI rests on seven pillars: Maritime Security; Maritime Ecology; Maritime Resources; Capacity Building and Resource Sharing; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and Trade, Connectivity and Maritime Transport
- Different partner countries are designated "lead" or "co-lead" nations for specific pillars — the UK's engagement through the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence falls under the Maritime Security pillar
- IPOI is distinct from, but complementary to, the Quad's maritime domain awareness initiatives (e.g., IPMDA) — IPOI is India-led and open to all Indo-Pacific partners, while Quad maritime mechanisms are limited to the four Quad members
The UK's participation in IPOI-linked maritime security capacity building, discussed alongside the DCG's industrial agenda, shows India using the same partner (the UK) across both its industrial/R&D and regional maritime-security tracks simultaneously.
- 25th India-UK Defence Consultative Group (DCG) meeting: New Delhi, August 21, 2026
- DCG constituted: 1995 (held alternately in India and UK; 25th session marks ~30 years of the mechanism)
- First India-UK 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue: October 2023 (India holds 2+2 dialogues with only US, Australia, Japan, UK)
- India-UK Roadmap 2030 (Comprehensive Strategic Partnership) agreed: May 4, 2021
- India-UK Autonomous Platforms and Uncrewed Systems Working Group launched: Farnborough International Airshow, 2026
- 15th India-UK Executive Steering Group meeting: London, June 17-19, 2026
- IPOI proposed: 14th East Asia Summit, November 4, 2019; rests on 7 thematic pillars