As India increases its footprint in the domain of defence diplomacy and prepares to send Defence Attachés to Indian missions in Africa, Armenia, and the Philippines, experts and veteran diplomats have cautioned that the focus has to be on increasing the number of DAs instead of “rationalising” as that could lead to “functional consequences” for the Indian armed forces.
The Hindu had reported on Thursday that, in a first, India is going to send Defence Attachés to multiple Indian missions in East and West Africa, the Philippines, Armenia, and Poland. The move also includes reduction in the number of Indian DAs in Russia which at present has one Air Attaché and one Deputy Air Attaché, one Military Attaché and his deputy and a Naval Attaché who serves along with two Deputy Naval Attachés.
According to information available with The Hindu, all the Deputy Defence Attachés are expected to be withdrawn from the Indian mission in Moscow, as India plans to expand military diplomatic footprint elsewhere. Responding to The Hindu’s report on reduction in the number of Indian Defence Attachés in Moscow, former Indian ambassador to Russia D.B. Venkatesh Varma struck a note of caution explaining that the India-Russia defence relations are “unlike any other”.
