Defence Chief General Anil Chauhan in UK for training, operations dialogue

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, is in London for talks covering the spectrum of military training, operations and defence industry partnerships between India and the UK. General Chauhan, who arrived for a three-day visit on Sunday, is hosted by Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton. The commanders are also set to interact with senior UK civil and military leaders on deepening defence cooperation between both nations. ''General Chauhan's landmark visit shows the trust and ambition driving the UK-India defence partnership. We are stepping up cooperation to strengthen interoperability, spur innovation and support a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific,'' said Lindy Cameron, the British High Commissioner to India. ''From joint training and defence industry cooperation to strategic dialogue, we are moving faster and closer, because India is a key defence partner for the UK. We will continue to build on this momentum in the months ahead,'' she said. Representatives of the British defence industry are scheduled to meet General Chauhan to progress talks on greater defence co-production between the two countries. He will also be given a tour of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, where he will meet a multinational cohort of students. ''The visit signals the significant progress we have achieved together across all areas of defence and highlights how much common ground we can share going forward,'' said Commodore Chris Saunders MBE Royal Navy, Defence Adviser, British High Commission. ''The visit will enable an opportunity to further discuss deepening our strong military-to-military engagement, expanding our cooperative training ambitions and exploring how we can develop greater defence industrial collaboration where both UK and India seek to use defence as an 'Engine for Growth' and to support India's route to self-reliance. Exciting times for UK-India defence cooperation,'' he said. This is the first official visit by an Indian Chief of Defence Staff to the UK and follows a series of senior India-UK military engagements this year, following the UK Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth's visit to India last month. The visits follow India and the UK launching a 10‑year Defence Industrial Roadmap under the Vision 2035 agreement to support growth, strengthen security and contribute to international stability. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has since set up a dedicated programme office, Defence Partnership‑India (DP-I) to drive bilateral defence collaboration. Earlier this year in February, the UK and India signed an agreement for the Indian Air Force to deploy three Qualified Flying Instructors to Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in the UK, the training base for British fast-jet pilots. Indian officers are embedded as instructors across all three UK service academies. Last year, both militaries ran their largest-ever maritime exercise, bringing together both nations' Carrier Strike Groups. This included a separate air-defence exercise with fast-jet aircraft from the UK's Royal Navy, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. This was followed by Exercise Ajeya Warrior in Rajasthan, with 2nd Royal Gurkha Rifles training alongside the 21 Sikh Regiment.