India’s engagement with the Gulf region in the defence sector embodies deepening strategic collaboration. This engagement indicates a broader reorientation of India’s external policy — one that relates to the changing contours of global geopolitics, the imperatives of securing national interests, and the need to project influence beyond traditional spheres. As India consolidates its position as a major actor with expanding security ambitions, its defence diplomacy with Gulf states is emerging as a vital domain shaping the contours of contemporary Indian foreign policy. Traditionally, India’s ties with Gulf nations were anchored in energy security and diaspora. The hydrocarbon resources from the Gulf region form a critical share of India’s energy basket. Meanwhile, Indian expatriates working across the Gulf region sent remittances that underpinned domestic consumption and foreign exchange reserves. Over decades, these economic links reinforced a transactional but enduring relationship wherein India needed Gulf energy and labour markets, while the Gulf relied on Indian manpower and commercial partnerships.
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However, as India’s strategic calculus has matured, this transactional relationship has become increasingly evident. Rising regional tensions, shifting power alliances, and competition among major players have exposed vulnerabilities in India’s engagement with the Gulf states, particularly its over-dependence on energy imports and the fragile nature of economic interdependence, separated from deeper strategic cooperation. This recognition has prompted New Delhi to expand the ambit of its diplomatic engagement in West Asia, in which defence cooperation now plays a central role.
The evolution of India’s defence diplomacy with the Gulf region is multifaceted. At the centre is the convergence of security primacies between India and the Gulf states. The rise of non-traditional security threats like transnational terrorism, maritime security challenges in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, and instability around the Strait of Hormuz. All these threats have underscored the need for cooperative security mechanisms. This has led New Delhi to shift from a largely transactional relationship with the Gulf states to a security interlocutor in the region. One visible manifestation of this shift is the increase in joint military engagements. India has expanded its defence cooperation through joint naval exercises, port calls, and training initiatives, aimed at building interoperability and mutual trust. Naval drills are increasingly significant, as India’s deployments in the Gulf of Aden highlight its growing role in safeguarding maritime trade. These operational engagements signal not just India’s commitment to safeguarding its economic lifelines, but also its willingness to contribute to collective regional security.
Yet defence cooperation in the Gulf region is not confined to naval exercises or joint operations. High-level defence dialogues and strategic partnerships have also gained prominence. India’s bilateral relations with the Gulf states transcend episodic interaction. Such pacts formalise areas of collaboration, including maritime security, counter-terrorism, joint training, intelligence sharing, and co-development of military technologies. These commitments underline a shared interest in addressing contemporary threats that individual states, acting alone, might struggle to mitigate.
New Delhi has been conscious to avoid entanglement in the region’s fractious geopolitics, refraining from aligning with military coalitions that could lead to intraregional conflicts. This cautious approach stems from multiple imperatives. India hosts one of the largest expatriate communities in the Gulf region so, any destabilisation could risk millions of Indian diaspora and remittance flows. Furthermore, the Gulf region remains a complex arena of rivalries — between Saudi Arabia and Iran, shifting dynamics between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, and the broader influence of external actors, including the US, China, and Russia. Further, India’s strategic autonomy demands that it navigate these currents prudently, avoiding overt alignments that could compromise its broader interests.
Nevertheless, the expansion of defence diplomacy has merged with India’s broader push to elevate its geopolitical footprint in the Gulf region. The growth of security partnerships with Gulf states reflects a recognition that economic and diplomatic ties are essential but must be reinforced through shared strategic commitments. In this, defence collaboration is an instrument through which India can project its influence and build long-term trust. The Gulf region is redefining its own foreign policy priorities, driven by economic diversification agendas, demographic shifts, and recalibration of security doctrines. These states are also increasingly looking beyond traditional Western security providers to build diversified partnerships. In this context, India can provide a feasible solution.
However, the road to achieving this is challenging. The region’s security landscape is inherently volatile, with unresolved conflicts, proxy wars, and rivalries that can reshape alliances. India must balance engagements with divergent actors in the Gulf region. For example, closer alignment with one Gulf state could strain relations with others and weaken India’s neutral regional position. Furthermore, India’s defence strategy must grapple with the reality that its security capacities, while formidable, are not unlimited.
Another dimension of India’s defence diplomacy that merits attention is the potential for co-development and industrial cooperation. While military cooperation has largely centred on exercises and training, there is scope for collaborative defence production, technology transfer, and joint research initiatives. Such partnerships could bolster India’s burgeoning defence industrial base, create economic linkages, and anchor strategic ties in tangible shared interests. Realising this potential, however, requires overcoming institutional and regulatory barriers, aligning defence industrial priorities, and building mutual trust in sensitive technological domains. The strategic dividend of India’s defence engagements with the Gulf region is substantial. By embedding security cooperation within its broader diplomatic architecture, India is reshaping its image to a credible security interlocutor. This will enhance India’s ability to safeguard its interests and assert its relevance in a geopolitical landscape dominated by rival powers. India’s expanding defence diplomacy in the Gulf is a defining feature of its foreign policy evolution. It reflects a strategic recognition that transactional relations, while still crucial, cannot alone anchor contemporary partnerships in an era characterised by uncertainty and competition. As India continues to navigate the complexities of the Gulf region’s geopolitics, its ability to balance engagement with independence, and cooperation with caution, will determine the long term sustainability and depth of its defence partnerships in the region.
The author is an assistant professor at Amity Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, Amity University, NOIDA.
