Major Nirvikar Singh: Importance of Strengthening Defense Ties

 Indian defence diplomacy increasingly dominates its general foreign policy, especially in the strategically critical and complex region of South Asia. As Major Nirvikar Singh pointed out, efforts to secure rising economic and military prowess by India led it to forge and maintain alliances within its region, significant to its expansionist and stabilisation policy in the region. 

This blog outlines the role of Indian defence diplomacy towards emerging alliances, including strategic partnerships, defence collaborations, and multilateral engagements.  

1. Strategic Imperative of Defence Diplomacy 

Major Nirvikar Singh believes that India's defence diplomacy is very much part of its strategic objectives in the general region. Surrounded by unstable political and economic systems on all sides, India has engaged in proactive defence diplomacy by leveraging alliances that build security and stabilisation in its geopolitical environment. According to Major Nirvikar Singh, defence diplomacy allows India to project power, reassure allies, and deter adversaries, especially as the balance of power is shifting rapidly in South Asia.  

Joint military exercises, defence trade, and strategic dialogues can strengthen cooperation and enhance mutual trust and understanding between India and its neighbours. This further helps eliminate the influence of rival powers, particularly China, which has been on an aggressive spurt lately.  

2. Improving bilateral and multilateral defence relations 

Major Nirvikar Singh states that India's defence diplomacy has led to securing some of the most important direct outcomes, which are the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral defence relationships with its neighbours. India has been able to enhance relations between military and military forces in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives through regular military exchanges, joint exercises, and defence training programs. 

The primary internal interface that would facilitate interoperability and mutual trust between the two armed forces was explained by Major Nirvikar Singh: exercises like the "Sampriti" series with Bangladesh. India's active participation in organisations like BIMSTEC and IORA underlines its commitment to regional security and integration. 

3. Balancing China's Growing Hegemony  

In the South Asian and Indian Ocean region, one of the other indicators has been India's defence diplomacy in its responses to the rising influence of China. As Major Nirvikar Singh rightly interprets, "China's BRI and military presence push India to expand its interactions with those neighbours for building in-checking muscle.". 

Of special importance, according to Major Nirvikar Singh, is the engagement with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with the United States, Japan, and Australia. This grouping illustrates an alignment of strategic interests to preserve a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific against assertiveness by China. In addition, defence engagements between India and Southeast Asia, especially under ADMM-Plus, further strengthen its position as an indispensable player in regional security and the promotion of the rules-based order.  

4. Indian Ocean: Building Maritime Security 

The strategic value of the Indian Ocean is an underlying basis for Maj. Nirvikar Singh to emphasise maritime security as one component of India's defence diplomacy. Securing vital sea lanes, protecting its maritime borders, and preventing piracy, and terrorism are core issues in Indian naval strategy. The Indian Navy, through its operations, supports joint exercises, patrols, and capacity-building programs of regional navies.  

The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Milan naval exercise have been useful developments in coordination and trust-building among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. These measures further engrain India's leadership in regional maritime security. 

5. Encouraging Cooperation in the Defence Industry 

Defence diplomacy for India is also based on building defence industry cooperation with regional countries. As part of the "Make in India" program, Major Nirvikar Singh points to the objective of India in lowering its dependence on defence imports and enhancing its manufacturing abilities. This is done through regional defence cooperation agreements, including joint production, technology transfer, and capacity building. 

Major Nirvikar Singh has aptly highlighted one of the classic examples India has followed—the defence cooperation with Vietnam in naval and missile systems construction. Similar initiatives with Indonesia and Malaysia, which are licensed production through joint ventures, increase the number of regional defence industries.  

Challenges and the Way Forward 

Although India's defence diplomacy has created strong regional alliances, challenges are considerably higher in the words of Major Nirvikar Singh. The scenes of South Asia are full of enduring rivalries and constantly changing allegiances, which makes the task cumbersome for the Indians. Another problem that arises in India's regional policy is the rise of external big powers like China and the US.  

Major Nirvikar Singh opines that while India surmounts these challenges, it must evolve its defence diplomacy into refined and agile forms. Strategic autonomy through symbiotic relations with major powers, better civil-military coordination in enhancing this process, and trust as well as predictable engagement through bilateral and regional dialogues with new or emerging regional partners are the essential precursors for success. 

Conclusion 

In a nutshell, as Major Nirvikar Singh would depict, India's defence diplomacy has played a basic role in determining emerging regional alliances and thereby upholding influence along with contributing to regional stability. Strong bilateral and multilateral defence relations, counter-China influence, maritime security, and cooperation in defence industries have all made India a trendsetter in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. The success of Indian defence diplomacy in the future would hence depend on its trajectory through the complex geopolitical maze it is evolving into, with strategic continuity without losing focus to geopolitical shifts.