{"id":2065,"date":"2026-03-08T20:26:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdesindia.in\/blog\/?p=2065"},"modified":"2026-03-08T20:26:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T14:56:05","slug":"indias-defence-international-cooperation-update-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdesindia.in\/blog\/indias-defence-international-cooperation-update-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Defence International Cooperation Update &#8211; February 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Rupal Kalebere<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2019s defence diplomacy in February 2026 reflected expanding engagements across&nbsp;Africa, Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, with a strong focus on&nbsp;military exercises, defence industrial cooperation, maritime diplomacy and emerging technologies. The month witnessed several bilateral dialogues, multilateral naval engagements, and defence industry partnerships reinforcing India\u2019s role as a key security partner in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Highlights \u2013 February 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>India deepened defence partnerships across&nbsp;Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific&nbsp;through joint exercises, dialogues and high-level visits.<\/li><li>The&nbsp;MILAN 2026 multilateral naval exercise, involving&nbsp;74 nations, marked one of the largest maritime cooperation initiatives led by India.<\/li><li>India expanded defence industrial cooperation with&nbsp;France, Italy and Saudi Arabia, highlighting its growing role in global defence manufacturing.<\/li><li>Several&nbsp;joint military exercises&nbsp;were conducted with partners including&nbsp;Japan, the United States, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand.<\/li><li>India\u2019s maritime diplomacy continued through&nbsp;INS Sudarshini\u2019s Lokayan-26 voyage, strengthening naval ties with Oman and Egypt.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Tanzania Defence Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;4th India\u2013Tanzania Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC)&nbsp;meeting was held in Zanzibar on 2\u20133 February 2026. Both sides reviewed ongoing defence cooperation and explored new areas including&nbsp;military training, counter-terrorism cooperation, cyber security, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A&nbsp;high-level delegation of the Tanzania Peoples\u2019 Defence Forces (TPDF)&nbsp;later visited India to enhance collaboration in cyber security and defence technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Tanzania is an important partner for India in the&nbsp;Western Indian Ocean Region (WIOR).<\/li><li>Cooperation supports India\u2019s broader maritime security framework under&nbsp;MAHASAGAR.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Kenya Defence Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;4th India\u2013Kenya Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meeting&nbsp;was held in Nairobi from 24\u201326 February 2026. Discussions focused on expanding&nbsp;military training, maritime security cooperation, defence research collaboration and cyber security initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both countries agreed to develop a&nbsp;five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, including enhanced naval engagements and structured military exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Strengthens India\u2019s defence engagement with&nbsp;East Africa, a region of growing geopolitical importance in the Indian Ocean.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Seychelles Security Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2019s Defence Secretary met with the&nbsp;Foreign Minister and Chief of Defence Forces of Seychelles&nbsp;in New Delhi. Discussions covered&nbsp;maritime security, hydrography cooperation, training and upcoming joint exercise LAMITYE-2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Seychelles remains a key partner in India\u2019s&nbsp;Indian Ocean maritime security network.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Indo-Pacific and Maritime Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MILAN 2026 Multilateral Naval Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;MILAN 2026 naval exercise&nbsp;concluded on 25 February aboard&nbsp;INS Vikrant&nbsp;off Visakhapatnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Participation from&nbsp;74 nations<\/li><li>42 ships and submarines<\/li><li>29 aircraft<\/li><li>Advanced drills including&nbsp;anti-submarine warfare, air defence, maritime interdiction and live firing exercises<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh also interacted with&nbsp;naval chiefs and delegations from nine ASEAN member statesduring the exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Reinforces India\u2019s role as a&nbsp;security provider in the Indo-Pacific.<\/li><li>Strengthens interoperability between regional navies.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Thailand Air Exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;Indian Air Force conducted an in-situ exercise with the Royal Thai Air Force&nbsp;in the Indian Ocean Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participating assets included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>IAF Su-30MKI fighter aircraft<\/li><li>Thai SAAB Gripen jets<\/li><li>IAF IL-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft<\/li><li>AWACS surveillance systems<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Enhances India\u2019s&nbsp;Act East defence cooperation.<\/li><li>Demonstrates extended air operations capability in the maritime domain.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maritime Diplomacy \u2013 Lokayan-26 Voyage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Indian Navy sail training ship&nbsp;INS Sudarshini&nbsp;conducted port visits as part of its&nbsp;Lokayan-26 global voyage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oman<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ship made its first international port call at&nbsp;Salalah, conducting professional exchanges with the&nbsp;Royal Navy of Oman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Egypt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vessel later visited&nbsp;Safaga Naval Base, engaging with the Egyptian Navy and promoting naval cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Enhances India\u2019s maritime diplomacy under the&nbsp;\u201cBridges of Friendship\u201d initiative.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bilateral Military Exercises<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Japan Exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;7th edition of Exercise Dharma Guardian&nbsp;commenced in Uttarakhand between the Indian Army and the&nbsp;Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key training activities included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coordination<\/li><li>Heliborne operations<\/li><li>Urban warfare drills<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Strengthens India-Japan defence ties under the&nbsp;Special Strategic and Global Partnership.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013United States Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;16th edition of the India-US Special Forces exercise Vajra Prahar&nbsp;began in Himachal Pradesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Indian Army Special Forces<\/li><li>US Army Green Berets<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The exercise focuses on&nbsp;joint special operations in mountainous terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Kyrgyzstan Exercise KHANJAR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;13th edition of Exercise Khanjar&nbsp;was conducted in Assam between Indian Army Special Forces and the&nbsp;Kyrgyz ILBRIS Special Forces Brigade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Training focused on&nbsp;counter-terrorism operations in urban and mountainous environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Defence Technology and Industrial Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013France Defence Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Annual Defence Dialogue<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India and France held the&nbsp;6th Annual Defence Dialogue&nbsp;in Bengaluru, reviewing bilateral defence cooperation and exploring expanded&nbsp;industrial partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Helicopter Manufacturing Partnership<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron virtually inaugurated the&nbsp;Tata-Airbus H125 Light Utility Helicopter final assembly line in Karnataka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Supports India\u2019s&nbsp;Aatmanirbhar Bharat defence manufacturing strategy.<\/li><li>Strengthens India-France aerospace collaboration following the&nbsp;C-295 aircraft program.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013United States Defence Technology Cooperation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;24th Indo-US Joint Technical Group meeting&nbsp;was held at DRDO headquarters in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The meeting explored collaboration in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>critical defence technologies<\/li><li>joint R&amp;D initiatives<\/li><li>innovation partnerships under the&nbsp;India-US Innovation Bridge<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>India\u2013Italy Defence Industrial Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2019s&nbsp;Secretary (Defence Production)&nbsp;visited Rome for meetings with senior Italian defence officials and industry leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The visit included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>India-Italy Defence Industry Seminar<\/li><li>B2B meetings between defence companies<\/li><li>discussions on&nbsp;co-development and supply chain integration<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Strategic significance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Strengthens India\u2019s engagement with the&nbsp;European defence industrial ecosystem.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>World Defence Show 2026 \u2013 Saudi Arabia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India participated in the&nbsp;World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh, where Raksha Rajya Mantri Sanjay Seth inaugurated the&nbsp;first India Pavilion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pavilion showcased capabilities of&nbsp;Indian defence public sector undertakings and private companies, highlighting India\u2019s emergence as a&nbsp;defence manufacturing and export hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>High-Level Defence Engagements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2013Australia<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chief of the Army Staff&nbsp;General Upendra Dwivedi&nbsp;visited Australia to strengthen army-to-army cooperation and prepare for the upcoming&nbsp;Exercise Austrahind 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>India\u2013Greece<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios Kataras, visited India and held talks with the Indian Navy leadership to enhance&nbsp;maritime cooperation and joint training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rupal Kalebere India&rsquo;s defence diplomacy in February 2026 reflected expanding engagements across&nbsp;Africa, Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[46],"tags":[851,1013,289,1012,1009,1011,898,1010,1008,1007],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>India\u2019s Defence International Cooperation Update - February 2026 | SAMDES INDIA&#039;S BLOG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.samdesindia.in\/blog\/indias-defence-international-cooperation-update-february-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India\u2019s Defence International Cooperation Update - February 2026 | 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