India Deploys Liaison Officers To Key US Commands

Less than a year after India and the US had agreed to place Indian officers in three different US Commands, India has posted three liaison officers (LO) to three US commands or establishments, marking a significant step up in strengthening its strategic defence relationship with the United States, sources said. Three Colonel level officers are now in the process of joining their posts to the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) headquartered in Hawaii, the Special Operations Command (SOCOM/USSOCOM) based in Florida and the US-led multinational maritime force, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in Bahrain.

This move aims to strengthen defence cooperation and share critical information between the two nations, clearly indicating India’s commitment to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region (IOR).

In June 2023, India had agreed ‘in principle’ to send liaison officers to these locations during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States.

The two countries have “resolved to strengthen undersea domain awareness cooperation. The agreement to place three Indian liaison officers in US commands for the first time – deepening our partnership and critical information sharing”, the White House had said in its statement at that time.

The joint statement issued after the discussions highlighted the role of the liaison officers in fostering joint service cooperation. It stated, “The placement of liaison officers in each other’s military organizations and the commitment to information sharing will serve as catalysts for joint service cooperation. The leaders also reiterated their determination to bolster maritime security cooperation through enhanced underwater domain awareness”.

Since 2022, the Pentagon has established strong military-to-military connections with India and provided mutual logistics support to help operationalise tools. Interestingly, this cooperation has granted Indian defence attaches unprecedented access without the need for an escort. A MoD source revealed that this privilege is not even extended to NATO allies or other top officials from different US departments.

US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a 42-nation naval partnership headquartered in Bahrain and the world’s largest multinational maritime grouping. India became an associate member of CMF in July 2022 and a full member in November 2023. Joining the CMF is the latest in a series of multilateral engagements by the Indian Navy as part of India’s widening military diplomacy. Almost all major navies of the world are members of the grouping except China. Pakistan is also a member.

Ten More Defence Attache Appointed

Meanwhile, the Indian government has taken a significant step towards expanding its defence presence in key geographies across the globe to promote arms exports and strengthen defence relationships. In addition to appointing liaison officers, the government has posted military and defence attachés to several new countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The number of Indian Defence Attaches posted in different countries globally now stands at 62, an increase of 10 since the beginning of 2024.

For the first time, India will have its military representatives posted to Armenia, Algeria, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Philippines, Poland, Seychelles, and Tanzania. This move follows the rationalisation of the strength of defence wings in large diplomatic missions in Russia, the UK, and France. India has also withdrawn its defence Attache from Turkmenistan. According to an insider, the decision was made after careful consideration, rationalisation, and assessing Turkmenistan’s own foreign policy.

As part of its ambitious global defence engagement strategy, the government is also set to increase the number of defence wings in 75 countries by 2030, up from the current 62 defence or military attaches. This proactive approach underscores the country’s commitment to strengthening its strategic ties and promoting its defence capabilities on a global scale, sources pointed out.

The recent decision to appoint defence attaches in the African nations of Algeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania is in keeping with India’s priority of broadening its strategic engagement in Africa. Several African countries have expressed interest in buying Indian military hardware. Posting an Indian Defence Attache in Djibouti is also seen as a calculated move, especially since China has been operating a military facility in Djibouti since 2017.

“The Indian Navy’s strategic vision emphasises maritime diplomacy, which involves building cooperative relationships and promoting global maritime security. To achieve these goals, the Indian Navy is actively working to expand its presence and engagement in the international arena. The government is doing this by increasing the number of Indian Naval attaches in African countries. These attaches play a crucial role in achieving strategic and business interests like tapping export potential,” said Capt D K Sharma, former spokesperson of the Indian Navy.

The decision to post a military attache in the Philippines, for example, assumes significance as India is strengthening its defence relationship with the Philippines due to growing concerns over China’s military aggression in the South China Sea. Recently, India signed a deal to supply the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines.

India has also appointed a defence attache to Armenia, which has expressed interest in improving its defence ties with India. India and Armenia had already signed a deal in 2023 to supply Indian military equipment, including multi-barrel rocket launchers and artillery guns, amid the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

India’s decision to appoint a defence attache in Poland, a member of the European Union (EU), is seen as New Delhi’s effort to establish defence relationships in the erstwhile Eastern European countries. It needs to be noted that last year, the EU also posted a military attache for the first time in its mission in India.

Ravi Shankar