India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to elevate their defence ties to align with the growing momentum in trade, investment, and social engagement. This decision was made during the 13th meeting of the India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC), which convened at the secretary level for the first time in New Delhi.

The meeting was co-chaired by India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UAE’s Under Secretary of Defence, Lt General Ibrahim Nasser M Al Alawi. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence cooperation. Both countries agreed to enhance military training exchanges, with India providing customised training programs for UAE personnel based on specific operational requirements.

Real-time information sharing on maritime security, as well as improved cooperation in search and rescue, pollution response, and anti-piracy operations, were discussed. A key outcome was the signing of an MoU between the Indian Coast Guard and the UAE National Guard.

The two sides discussed possible defence industrial partnership, including joint manufacturing ventures similar to the ICOMM-CARACAL collaboration on small arms. They also discussed collaborative development prospects in next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence and ship maintenance.