The UK and India will launch their biggest joint military exercise, Konkan Shakti, with the re-entry of UK's Carrier Strike Group (CSG) into the western Indian Ocean waters. The CSG, with HMS Queen Elizabeth—its new aircraft carrier as the flagship—has been on deployment all summer in the Indo-Pacific waters. The UK military engaged with their counterparts in Singapore and Bangladesh, and also did a “non-provocative deployment” in the South China Sea. The CSG's deployment is an important one for the UK—its biggest after the end of the Cold War.
On Thursday, the CSG will enter Indian waters, and one of the ships will dock in Mumbai port. The carrier will stay at anchorage, though some invited guests will be taken on board. The UK's foreign secretary Elizabeth Truss will be in Mumbai for senior level discussions on a range of topics, including maritime propulsion technology, which the UK is keen to sell to the Indian Navy. The UK has an integrated electrical propulsion technology which it hopes to sell for future ships in the Indian Navy.
Post Brexit, the UK has reached out for intense bilateral engagements with India (among other countries) and during a virtual summit in May, Boris Johnson and Narendra Modi agreed on 'Roadmap 2030' to take forward the relationship. This roadmap looks at five sections—trade and investment, climate change, health, living bridges and defence and security. Of the 70 engagements with 40 nations that the CSG will have during its entire deployment, 10 per cent is with India.
Konkan Shakti is the first triservice exercise between the two nations. Another army exercise, Ajeya Warrior is ongoing in Uttarakhand where around 120 British soldiers are participating. The two navies had engaged in naval war games during a two-day passage exercise (Passex) in the Bay of Bengal in July during the onward leg of the CSG's deployment.
Modi is expected to be in the UK for the Climate Change conference after the G-20 meet in Italy later this month, and the two countries might make some announcements on climate mitigation cooperation, too. Discussions on a free trade agreement, too, are likely to commence.
Given that the Indo-Pacific is the region where all the global focus is now trained, the UK, too, has ensured its footprint on these waters. The CSG, which also includes a Dutch contingent, will sail homewards after the Mumbai leg, with a limited engagement (one ship) with Pakistan, and a bigger engagement in Oman. The UK also plans to remain engaged in this region and is likely to deploy an offshore patrol vessel in the western Indian Ocean Region. The UK now wants to ensure a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean Region.
