Diplomacy with a defence angle
Hindustan TimesNew Delhi’s move to appoint defence attachés in several foreign missions is of a piece with India’s rising economic clout and its self-perception as a leader of the Global South. A third factor that provides context to the decision is India’s focus on self-reliance in defence production, which is focussed not only on restricting imports but also on exporting Indian products, especially to African countries. New Delhi has set a defence export target of ₹35,000 crore by 2024-25; India exports military hardware to around 85 countries. The decision to appoint defence attachés in the Philippines and Armenia reflects this new metric in diplomacy: In 2022, Manila inked a $375 million deal with New Delhi to acquire three batteries of the BrahMos cruise missile and Armenia became the first foreign customer for Pinaka rocket launcher.