Rupal Kalebere
Introduction
October 2025 marked one of the most active months in India’s defence diplomacy, underscoring its growing global footprint and evolving maritime vision. Through sustained bilateral visits, joint exercises, and multilateral dialogues, India projected strategic autonomy while reinforcing cooperative security frameworks. The engagements reflected the core tenets of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), translating them into tangible partnerships across continents.
India’s defence outreach during this period spanned five major regions – the Indo-Pacific, Africa, Europe, West Asia, and the multilateral domain – demonstrating operational reach, diplomatic agility, and industrial depth.
Indo-Pacific: Deepening the Arc of Maritime Partnerships
The Indo-Pacific remained the epicentre of India’s diplomatic and operational activity. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh’s visit to Australia on 9–10 October symbolised the consolidation of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Three agreements signed during the visit enhanced cooperation in maritime domain awareness, information sharing, and defence industry collaboration. The India–Australia Defence Industry Roundtable in Sydney was a defining moment, where India invited Australian firms to co-develop propulsion systems, autonomous underwater vehicles, and advanced materials, embedding Make in India into trans-regional supply chains.
Parallelly, the Indian Navy undertook a series of high-visibility exercises: AUSTRAHIND-25 in Perth, focusing on joint land operations; the inaugural IN–RoKN Bilateral Exercise in Busan; JAIMEX-25 with Japan, advancing anti-submarine warfare and missile-defence interoperability; and Samudra Shakti-25 with Indonesia, expanding tactical coordination and boarding operations.
Collectively, these interactions indicate a transition from engagement to operational integration. India’s naval deployments – especially INS Sahyadri’s extended Indo-Pacific voyage – reinforced its status as a net maritime security provider, signalling sustained presence from the South China Sea to the Eastern Indian Ocean.
Africa and the Indian Ocean: Capacity-Building and Humanitarian Reach
India’s Africa-focused diplomacy in October blended humanitarian assistance, maritime training, and security cooperation. The Indian Coast Guard’s ICGS Sachet delivered 20 metric tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material to Mozambique, aligning with the SAGAR vision. Concurrently, INS Sutlej completed the 18th joint hydrographic survey with Mauritius, covering 35,000 square nautical miles and supporting Blue Economy planning, navigation safety, and environmental management.
On the continental front, Ethiopia emerged as a key partner with the inaugural India–Ethiopia Joint Defence Cooperation Meeting in New Delhi, formalising collaboration in training, medicine, and defence industry under a 2025 memorandum of understanding. These sustained initiatives highlight India’s long-term investment in African maritime capacity-building, positioning New Delhi as a trusted developmental and security partner.
Europe: Renewed Maritime and Strategic Engagement
Defence ties with European partners continued to gain traction. The UK–India maritime exercise Konkan-25, involving the Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Prince of Wales, marked a new phase in operational interoperability. In Mumbai, Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth met UK Defence Minister Vernon Coaker, reaffirming alignment under the India–UK Vision 2035 framework. Discussions focused on global supply-chain collaboration and maritime stability in the Indo-Pacific.
In the Mediterranean, INS Trikand’s port call to Italy extended India’s operational footprint westward, supporting cooperative engagement with NATO littorals. The pattern of activity reveals India’s strategic intention to bridge Indo-Pacific and European theatres, using maritime diplomacy as the connecting medium.
West Asia: Defence Technology and Regional Linkages
The visit of Maj Gen Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander of the UAE Land Forces, to India on 27–28 October reinforced the deepening military-technical partnership with the Gulf. Briefings at the Army Design Bureau and DRDO showcased India’s advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and indigenous platforms. The visit highlighted convergence on training, capability enhancement, and co-development, indicating that India’s West Asia partnerships are now pivoting from procurement to joint innovation and strategic technology exchange.
Multilateral Forums: Leadership Through Ideas and Institutions
India’s global stature was visible through three multilateral milestones.
The first was the UN Troop Contributing Countries (UNTCC) Chiefs’ Conclave 2025 hosted in New Delhi, where Raksha Mantri outlined the 4C framework – Consultation, Cooperation, Coordination, and Capacity-Building. India positioned itself as a moral and operational leader in modernising peacekeeping through technology, gender inclusion, and professional training.
The second was the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD 2025), themed “Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth.” The three-day dialogue examined the Blue Economy, maritime resilience, and climate-linked challenges. Participation from over 30 countries and thought leaders from Japan, South Africa, and Indonesia underscored India’s intellectual leadership in shaping the maritime security discourse.
The third was the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, where India reaffirmed its Act East commitment. On the sidelines, Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signed a 10-year India–US Major Defence Partnership Framework, providing strategic direction for defence technology cooperation, logistics, and regional security. This agreement institutionalised defence as a core pillar of India–US relations, signifying a new decade of strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific.
Through these forums, India demonstrated both thought leadership and coalition-building capacity, aligning national priorities with global governance mechanisms.
Conclusion
October 2025 encapsulated India’s strategic transformation from a regional balancer to a system-shaping actor in global defence affairs. Each engagement—from the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific—projected confidence in India’s indigenous capability, diplomatic maturity, and operational endurance.
Three defining trends emerged from the month’s developments:
- Integration of diplomacy and industry, linking defence partnerships with co-production and research.
- Maritime centrality, positioning the Indian Navy as a stabilising force across interconnected oceans.
- Strategic convergence, aligning multiple partnerships within a cohesive Indo-Pacific framework.
India’s outreach in October 2025 strengthened existing alliances and opened new frontiers in defence innovation, humanitarian assistance, and multilateral cooperation. It reaffirmed New Delhi’s position as a credible, capable, and constructive leader committed to shaping a secure, inclusive, and rules-based global order.