Senior Indian and Russian military officials convened in New Delhi for the fifth meeting of the Working Group on Military Cooperation under the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC).

The two-day dialogue, held at the Manekshaw Centre from October 28 to 29, focused on strengthening the long-standing defence partnership between the two nations while identifying new areas for coordination and capability-building.

Co-chaired by Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, and Lieutenant General Dylevsky Igor Nikolayevich, Deputy Chief of Main Operations, Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the meeting underscored a shared commitment to enhancing operational synergy.

Both sides reaffirmed the relevance of their Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, which has served as the bedrock of Indo-Russian defence collaboration over decades.

Discussions centred on reviewing existing cooperation programmes and assessing the outcomes of current joint activities. Officials evaluated progress in various ongoing projects related to defence technology exchanges, training arrangements, logistics cooperation, and joint production under long-term agreements.

Special attention was given to maintaining continuity in projects that underpin India’s objective of expanding indigenous defence manufacturing through partnerships with Russian industry.

New avenues for collaboration were also explored to expand cooperation beyond traditional areas such as aircraft, naval systems, and armoured vehicles.

The deliberations signalled an interest in knowledge-sharing mechanisms across emerging domains including advanced propulsion technology, simulation-based combat training, and potentially artificial intelligence-enabled defence applications.

These efforts reflect an adaptive approach to modern warfare requirements while sustaining historical ties.

Training and human resource development emerged as significant focus areas. Both sides discussed increasing the frequency of officer-level exchanges, combined staff courses, and specialised instruction programmes. Enhanced training cooperation is expected to improve interoperability and build institutional linkages between the Indian armed forces and their Russian counterparts.

The Working Group serves as a key institutional platform enabling regular interaction between India’s Integrated Defence Staff and Russia’s Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation.

It facilitates transparent discussions, aligns bilateral objectives with evolving security needs, and ensures that cooperation remains responsive to current geopolitical realities.

The latest round of talks concluded with a reaffirmation that both sides would continue to deepen strategic engagements under the structured framework of IRIGC-M&MTC.

Based On PTI Report