NE DEFENCE BUREAU
NEW DELHI, AUG 28
From military training grounds to defence laboratories and manufacturing floors, India and Kuwait are opening a new chapter in bilateral security cooperation. The inaugural meeting of the India-Kuwait Joint Defence Committee (JDC) in New Delhi on Friday has set the stage for a broader and more structured defence partnership, with both sides agreeing to expand cooperation in training, military exercises, military medicine, staff talks, defence industry and research and development.
The first-ever JDC meeting assumes particular significance as it translates the commitments of the Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024 into a structured mechanism for sustained engagement.
- Historic JDC meeting operationalises 2024 Defence MoU
- Training, military exercises, medicine and staff talks on cooperation agenda
- Defence industry and R&D emerge as key pillars of expanding strategic partnership
- Kuwaiti delegation explores deeper engagement with India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem
The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad and Brigadier General Raed Alsakran, who led the five-member Kuwaiti delegation. The Indian delegation brought together representatives from the three Services, Department of Defence Production, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Armed Forces Medical Services and Ministry of External Affairs, underlining the wide-ranging nature of the discussions.
Defence cooperation gets a new architecture
The JDC is expected to provide a dedicated institutional platform for identifying new areas of cooperation and translating them into concrete initiatives.
The discussions covered military training, joint exercises, military medicine, staff talks, defence production and R&D, potentially opening new avenues for exchanges between the armed forces and defence establishments of the two countries.
The focus on defence industry is particularly significant as India continues to expand its indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities and seek greater integration with international partners.
Kuwait looks at India’s defence industry
The Kuwaiti delegation’s engagement with India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem began even before the JDC discussions.
Ahead of the meeting, Brigadier General Raed Alsakran paid homage to India’s fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
The Kuwaiti delegation also visited DPSU Bhawan, where it held discussions with representatives of the Indian defence industry on potential areas of mutual cooperation.
An industry interaction with the Kuwaiti delegation is scheduled for the second day of the visit, providing an additional opportunity to explore possible collaboration in defence manufacturing and related sectors.
From strategic partnership to defence partnership
The JDC follows the elevation of India-Kuwait relations to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024.
The mechanism is therefore being established at a time when the broader bilateral relationship is acquiring greater strategic depth.
The two countries have traditionally maintained warm and friendly relations, supported by historical trade links, geographic proximity, cultural affinities and the substantial Indian community in Kuwait.
Decades of trust, a new security dimension
India and Kuwait established diplomatic relations in 1962, and their relationship has since expanded across multiple spheres.
The new defence mechanism adds an important security dimension to this longstanding relationship, creating greater scope for institutionalised military-to-military engagement.
With the inaugural JDC now setting the framework, India and Kuwait are poised to transform longstanding goodwill into deeper defence cooperation—linking military preparedness, technology, industry and strategic partnership.
