The U.K. Navy will send its Littoral Response Group to the Indian Ocean region later this year, with plans for its Carrier Strike Group to visit India in 2025. Both will operate and train with Indian forces, U.K. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has announced.
He said this as he held discussions with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who is on a two-day visit to the U.K. This is the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to the U.K. after over two decades, the last visit was by George Fernandes in 2002.
“The two nations also discussed future cooperation in defence from joint exercises to knowledge sharing and instructor exchanges. These steps build on the comprehensive strategic partnership envisaged in the 2030 India-U.K. roadmap, announced in 2021,” the U.K. High Commission said in a statement on Wednesday. Deployment of the U.K.’s most advanced naval capabilities mark a decisive step in bolstering the U.K.-India security ties, it stated.