In a sign of expanding focus on military diplomacy, India is set to send Defence Attachés (DA) to a number of its missions in Africa for the first time, sources here have confirmed. The move is part of a larger adjustment of the DA in Indian missions scattered across continents and regions and is being implemented as India deals with dynamic situations in Indo-Pacific, Red Sea-Indian Ocean and Eurasia.
A source privy to the internal discussion informed that out of all the continents, it is Africa that is expected to get four new DA. Out of that one DA is likely to be sent to the Francophone western Africa, and three others are expected to be sent to three countries in eastern and southeastern Africa. Indian missions in countries such as Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Djibouti are being discussed as part of the process. In the meanwhile, a number of DA posted to Indian missions abroad underwent a three-day pre-deployment training programme at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service this week.
Apart from the four countries in Africa, the Indian embassy in Poland is scheduled to get a new DA. At present the DA in the Indian embassy in the Czech Republic concurrently serves for the Indian mission in Warsaw.
