13th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting

General Studies Paper-2

Context

• India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation during the 13th India-UAE Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting, held in New Delhi.

Key Outcomes of the 13th JDCC Meeting

• Joint Manufacturing: India and UAE agreed to pursue joint manufacturing initiatives, replicating the model of collaboration between ICOMM (India) and CARACAL (UAE) for small arms production.
• Technology Co-Development: Discussions were held on co-developing next-generation technologies in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence, autonomy, and cybersecurity.
  • Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Coast Guard and the UAE National Guard to deepen collaboration in Search and rescue operations, Anti-piracy missions, Pollution control response and Maritime situational awareness.

Significance of the Defence Cooperation

• Counterbalance to Regional Conflicts: India’s balanced approach in West Asia enhances its role as a stabilising, non-hegemonic partner, fostering regional trust amid ongoing tensions.
• Maritime Security: The UAE’s strategic location near the Strait of Hormuz complements India’s naval presence in the Arabian Sea and enhances collaborative maritime security.
• Joint maritime efforts strengthen sea lane security, trade route protection, and anti-piracy measures.
• India’s defence export and production capabilities receive a major boost through such partnerships, helping meet its target of ₹35,000 crore in defence exports by 2025.

UAE and India relations

• Political: India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) established diplomatic relations in 1972.
• Multilateral Cooperation: India and the UAE are currently part of several plurilateral platforms such as I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA) and UFI (UAE-France-India) Trilateral, etc.
  • UAE was also invited as a Guest Country to the G-20 Summit.
• Economic & Commercial: The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was signed in 2022, since the agreement, bilateral merchandise trade has nearly doubled from USD 43.3 billion in FY 2020-21 to USD 83.7 billion in FY 2023-24.
  • UAE is the second largest export destination of India (after the US) with an amount of nearly US$ 31.61 billion for the year 2022-23.
  • The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) was signed in 2024 to protect and encourage bilateral investments by providing investor safeguards.
• Defence cooperation: It is steered through a Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) at the Ministry level, with the signing of Agreement on Defence Cooperation in 2003, which came into effect in 2004.
  • The Desert Cyclone exercise 2024, marked a milestone in military cooperation.
• Space Cooperation: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the UAE Space Agency signed an MoU regarding cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes in 2016.
• Indian Community: Indian expatriate community of approximately 3.5 million is the largest ethnic community in UAE constituting roughly about 35% of the country’s population.

Conclusion

• The deepening India–UAE defence partnership reflects a maturing strategic relationship that now encompasses not just trade and diaspora ties but also critical areas like defence innovation, regional security, and strategic autonomy.
• Joint defence engagements align with India’s broader objective of establishing a rules-based, multipolar regional order, especially in the Indo-Pacific and West Asia.