India steps up defence diplomacy, offers CSRS to more countries

Smita Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 21

India is expanding its Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and offering the Coastal Surveillance Radar Technology (CSRS) to several countries as it increases its defence diplomacy.

The radar surveillance that was conceived post the 2008 Mumbai attacks to strengthen coastal security through electronically transmitted data and integrated stations has been now offered to some additional 30 countries of which nearly 12 have inked agreements and it is under active implementation in some 10 countries. According to sources, India is now close to commissioning a chain of stations in the island nation of Maldives, which saw the ouster of pro-China autocratic President Yameen in elections last year and a friendly Solih government took shape. Incidentally, Maldives was a major stumbling block for CSRS cleared in 2011.

Maldivian Defence Minister will be in Delhi on an official visit next week and the second round of dialogue mechanism formed at level of Defence secretaries in 2016 will soon happen. 

While an older version of the radar stations systems is already functional in Srilanka and Mauritus, the process is under way in Seychelles and capabilities have been offered to Mozambique and Madagascar, said sources. Discussions are also underway with Bangladesh and at an advanced stage with Myanmar which is acquiring military equipments too from India, sources added.

“We have offered this to Thailand. And we have offered a pilot project to Indonesia to develop it for an island, which can be scaled up later,” said an official privy to discussions adding that the White Shipping agreements data will be collated into this integrated system.

Defence sources added that military engagements have increased significantly with West Asian countries.UAE is looking at India as a potential source of defence equipments with some key contracts signed, while India is exploring possibility of a first ever joint army exercise with Egypt.

“Egyptians have strong commitment to counter terrorism, so we hope they will have some spare capacity. Jordan and Morocco are engaging more actively with us,” an official remarked. 

However, sources underlined that India is not ready to step up its military exercises at level of Quadrilateral grouping or to include Australia in Malabar exercises despite Canberra's keenness. 

Sources say India would like to see further enhancement of bilateral military ties with Australia which saw Indian Air Force for the first time participate in Exercise Pitch Black last year in Darwin. Meanwhile, procedures have been cleared for India to soon depute a Defence Attache to the US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain as was agreed upon during the inaugural Indo-US 2+2 dialogue last year, said sources.