India, Oman Mull Stepping Up Military Ties As Part Of Indian Outreach To The Gulf
Close on the heels of the 11th India–Oman Joint Military Cooperation Committee Meeting (JMCC) in New Delhi on January 31, the commander of the Royal Navy of Oman is in a goodwill visit to India to explore new areas of cooperation. Increased interaction with the Omani military is part of India’s outreach to West Asia.
Oman is India’s oldest security partner in the Gulf. Armed forces of the two countries have been staging joint military exercises since 1993. Strategic ties with Oman give India a capacity to extend military reach and presence to the Gulf and key choke points in the sea lanes of communication which are critical to the world’s energy security.
Rear Admiral Saif Bin Nasser Bin Mohsin Al Rahbi, Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman (CRNO) discussed new areas of naval cooperation with the Indian Navy Chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar after receiving a guard of honour at the South Block lawns on February 14.
He is reported to have discussed defence procurements from India, repair and maintenance of platforms and increasing the number of training slots in Indian military academies for Omani personnel.
Rear Admiral Al Rahbi is also touring the Western Naval Headquarters in Mumbai, where he would be interacting with the naval commanders and visiting warships at the Naval Dockyard.
The two sides have been holding the biennial naval exercise Naseem Al Bahr since 1993. This exercise was last conducted in 2020 off Goa and the next edition is scheduled later this year. The Indian Navy sail training ship INS Sudarshini visited Muscat in December 2021.
Earlier on January 31, the visiting Secretary-General of Oman’s Ministry of Defence Dr Mohammad Bin Nasser Bin Ali Al-Zaabi co-chaired the 11th India-Oman JMCC Meeting with Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar in New Delhi in which the two sides discusses stepping up defence ties. The JMCC is the apex body for deciding the agenda for bilateral military cooperation.
“The two sides reviewed the progress made in military-to-military engagements, including joint exercises, industry cooperation and various ongoing infrastructure projects. It was decided to identify new avenues and examine areas of mutual interest for Joint Venture in order to enhance defence industry cooperation,” according to a statement released by the Ministry of Defence.
“Conduct of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercises involving the three services and enhancing the scope and complexities of the existing joint exercises were also discussed. Both the countries agreed to work together to combat the issue of drug trafficking prevalent in the North Arabian Sea,” the statement added. It was agreed to hold the next JMCC meeting in Oman.
The Omani Secretary-General also called on the three Service Chiefs, met with the CEOs of Indian Defence Industries and visited military training establishment and Cochin Shipyard, where he was briefed on the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant.
