Why in news
- Ministry of Defence allocated a dedicated ₹400 crore fund to strengthen defence diplomacy and plans to establish 90 defence wings globally by 2030.
What is the Defence Diplomacy Initiative?
- Strategic framework managed by the Ministry of Defence to expand India's military diplomatic presence abroad.
- Deploy Defence Attachés (DAs) to Indian diplomatic missions to foster military-to-military cooperation and facilitate arms exports.
Key Objectives and Execution
- Expands defence attache offices from existing locations across Africa, Indian Ocean Region, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
- Tasks defence wings with promoting exports of indigenous defence platforms produced under Make in India.
- Dedicated fund finances joint exercises, military training assistance, defence industrial exhibitions, and strategic dialogue.
Why it matters
- Supports India's target of achieving ₹35,000 crore ($5 billion) in annual defence exports.
- Counterbalances regional strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and Global South through security partnerships.
Key terms
Defence Attaché
A military expert attached to a diplomatic mission who serves as liaison officer between host country and home armed forces.
Defence Diplomacy
The strategic use of armed forces and military cooperation to pursue foreign policy objectives.
Prelims facts
- Defence Attachés operate under Indian diplomatic missions to coordinate military cooperation and export promotion.
Mains discussion
- Integration of military diplomacy with foreign policy to bolster domestic defence industrial base.
Source: Hindu Business Line News
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