India’s Military Diplomacy in South Asia. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen M.N. Naravane’s visit to South Korea and discussions with his counterpart, Gen Nam Yeong Shin, was another shot in the arm to boost bilateral ties between India and South Korea, which is already on the boom. India’s Military Diplomacy in South Asia.
While the world battles the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the fifth visit being made by the Indian Army Chief during this pandemic after Myanmar, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia – shows New Delhi’s aspiration to challenge the current global order. India’s Military Diplomacy in South Asia.
These visits come as an extension to New Delhi’s efforts to diversify its allies and all-out efforts to tackle Beijing’s assertive aspiration in the Indo-Pacific. This highlights one of the most important transitions of India’s Foreign Policy as there is a usage of “Military Diplomacy” to broaden its diplomatic footprint across the globe.
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Strategic Move?
Until now, New Delhi had always postured itself as non-military essentially; firstly, due to the philosophical commitment to non-violence rooted in our heritage and secondly, due to our commitment to non-alignment.
But considering the recent changes, it’s clear that “Many friends, few foes, great goodwill, more influence” is the way to send powerful political and diplomatic messages across the globe – especially given the current volatility.
This visit of COAS furthers the objective of expanding cooperation in manufacturing equipment indigenously to bolster the efforts of self-reliance or “Atmanirbhar Bharat” relating to aeronautics, shipbuilding, electronics, and missile technology as New Delhi identifies East Asian countries growing synergies with the Indian Defense Industry.
This would include the role of the military in the formulation of our security policies in close synergy with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), whose absence was earlier being commented about.
It is every country’s dream to be self-sufficient especially on matters regarding National Security, the recent activities on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have brought out the need for infrastructure, equipment, and supply chains, New Delhi went on a buying spree which indicates why the military diplomacy to these countries have been more crucial than past. Even after ten rounds of talks, the status quo hasn’t changed as commander-level talks continued but it’s clear, both countries India and China have a stalemate situation.
What next?
New Delhi should focus on where it matters – the Navy and the Indo-Pacific. The Indian Navy still struggles to find a larger pie to gobble as heavy expenses are being incurred on maintaining the forces on the border of India China with no clear solution in coming times.
The Indian Navy achieved Atmanirbharta due to close collaboration between the Government and the private players. New Delhi happens to be in a dilemma as it considers reducing its current size of the 175 Ship Navy from 200 Ships, and the plan for the third aircraft carrier is doubtful.
Maritime and infrastructure needs a major overhaul as it is set to become one of the most important domains especially when India is collaborating in the QUAD Group of countries – which includes Australia, Japan, and the United States – in the Indo Pacific.
In conversation with an expert from the defense industry who didn’t wish to be named states India’s negative list happens to be a boom and an encouragement for the industry as big foreign players have huge capitals when this negative list is being prepared – it allows the domestic players to grow.
GOVERNMENT’S ENGAGEMENT
The government is engaging with the private sector for the first time, intent and will to make a change are being seen in recent times. The Defence budget happens to go down from 2.5% to 2.1% which shows that things are moving in a positive direction. The Defence Procurement Procedure (Amendment), 2020 happens to be framed in close consultation with all stakeholders in the market.
To fulfill its role and ambition as a security provider in the region, India needs to project itself attractive to those countries which have been reluctant to engage till now. Recently, New Delhi extended a credit line of $100 million defense to Hanoi for defense cooperation while offering to extend a $50 million line of credit for Colombo and various other countries in the neighborhood.
New Delhi has been putting its focus on the fields of electronics, information technology, cybersecurity, space exploration, civil nuclear energy – all of them being non-traditional and upcoming in the years to come.
While MEA is trying to synergize its effort with new institutional and verticals through NEST (New and Emerging Strategic Technologies), such efforts are timely to engage for regional stability and India’s external technology policy in coordination with domestic stakeholders and align India’s National Security goals for long term better policymaking.:
All these instances are well relevant for understanding and expatiating on the subject that the role of the Indian Military in foreign policy in India is coming to its prominence. As the objectives of national security can be and foreign policy can be capitalized in a coordinated manner.
INDIA’S ROLE
India’s role will be critical in the years to come it challenges the structural realities of the World. With different political and military coalitions emerging out of the core economic order, the United Kingdom breaking away from the European Union, peace in the Middle East, a faithful ally like Israel in the region, close strategic partnership with France and Germany, an unexplored Latin America.
New Delhi needs to expand and reach out the military diplomacy to expand the global footprint across the globe and not waste this crisis, instead takes it as an opportunity to realign and challenge the existing world order.