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A defence partnership for the future

France and India share a common vision of the world. In fact, France is working towards building an international order in which India and other emerging nations share full responsibilities. France is doing this with the conviction that a prosperous India, whose strategic interests are secure, contributes to world stability. India taking up its full role at the international level is in the interests of France and Europe as well as the rest of the world. It starts with French support to India’s case for permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council and the enlargement of the G8, in particular to include India. President Nicolas Sarkozy holds this view very strongly, as he did at the time of his state visit to India on January 25 and 26, 2008, and during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to France on September 29 and 30.

This reaffirmed strategic partnership has enabled relations between military institutions in the two countries to attain an unprecedented level of operational cooperation. The capacity to work together, with aircraft carriers, submarines and all kinds of aircraft, is, in fact, a privilege exclusive to the most solid of partnerships, and a sign that the armed forces of the two countries are capable of working together side by side to serve a common cause.

The two countries face similar threats and share common strategic interests. The fight against terrorism, the importance of which was tragically illustrated by the recent attacks in Mumbai; the fight against piracy, crucial to the proper development of international trade and especially energy supplies, stability and security in the Indian Ocean region, are some of the problems that India and France need to resolve together, with all the solidarity that marks relations between the two countries.

To face these threats, France and India need to be able to count on dependable and self-sufficient military supplies, taking full advantage of the latest technological advances in armaments, in accordance with the independence of the respective nations. The strategic partnership between France and India was always carried forward on the basis of the conviction that the pooling of know-how would help both countries to face the threats confronting them. This is why France has always been ready to work within the Indian defence procurement policy, based on significant transfer of technology, aiming at “indigenisation” of defence production so as to ensure the autonomy and safety of supplies required by India.

The defence cooperation between France and India, based on significant transfer of technology, and adapted to the Government of India’s policy of “indigenisation” of defence production, completely conforms to the need for autonomy and safety of supplies required by India.

Cooperation between French and Indian defence firms has already proved fruitful, leading, for example, to the development of the engine of the helicopter “Shakti” involving Turbomeca and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The partnership, by the transfer of advanced technologies, ensures that the latest technology is available to India even for long-term military programmes. This is notably the case with the six Scorpene submarines built in Mumbai by Mazagon Docks Limited and DCNS in order to equip the Indian Navy, and the Mirage 2000s of the Indian Air Force which will shortly be modernised to optimise their operational capacity. Under the contract for the production of the Scorpene submarine, France transfers to India all the technologies and knowhow used to build it. And India is able to fully use and master these technologies, the supplies and equipment that go along with them as well as the production processes.

France is ready to apply this unique approach to other programmes currently being carried out by the Indian armed forces, such as the development of the Kaveri engine or the ambitious programme to develop and produce short-range surface-to-air missiles (SR-SAM) in India on the basis of French technology. This ensures for India the necessary independence for the continuation of its strategic plans and will allow it to increase its influence through the export of these jointly developed products.

These programmes are explicitly mentioned in the Joint Declaration of September 30, 2008, issued on the occasion of the Indo-French bilateral summit. They illustrate the wish of both countries to intensify cooperation in the field of defence.

The relationship of mutual trust between France and India is strong and ancient. Everyone is aware of the participation of French officers with the armies of Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan, Ranjit Singh and some Mughal emperors. The school of French indologists was a part of the intellectual discovery of the civilisation of the sub-continent, which contributed to the widening of the horizon of Western thinking. At the same time, French philosophers of the 18th century contributed to the creation of the ideal of freedom among the Indian freedom fighters.

All this paved the way for the trust that unites the two countries to endure and re-emerge at the time of Independence in the form of a strategic partnership. This has recently been reaffirmed. Since then these relations have been unfailing, and new issues will carry them forward into the future: France and India jointly believe that peace, democracy, tolerance and human development are the key words for successful globalisation.

(Jean Marie Bockel is the French Minister of State for Defence and Veterans.)

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