India has been solidifying its Indo-Pacific strategy in the past week especially defence ties ahead of the visit of Philippines President Bongbong Marcos from Monday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed trip to Japan later this month.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan interacted with General Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), to reinforce defence ties between India and Japan during a Tokyo visit last week. Simultaneously, three Indian warships from the Eastern Fleet are currently in Manila as the two sides look to deepen maritime security cooperation.
With the Trump administration currently not having any focus on coordinating with India for its Indo-Pacific strategy, New Delhi is bolstering its outreach bilaterally with the countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia.
In a post on X, the Integrated Defence Staff said, “General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff interacts with Gen. YOSHIDA Yoshihide, Chief of Staff, JSDF to reinforce defence ties between India and Japan. General Chauhan conveyed best wishes to General Yoshida on his superannuation, appreciating his contributions in strengthening Defence Cooperation between both nations. He also extended greetings to Gen. HIROAKI Uchikura, who will assume the appointment as the next Chief of Staff, JSDF, expressing confidence that the strong momentum in bilateral military ties will continue to grow. CDS reaffirmed India’s commitment to deepen Strategic Cooperation with Japan in the Indo-Pacific.”
Separately, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), is currently on an official visit to Japan. The Indian Navy said during talks with Admiral Saito Akira, the two naval chiefs discussed steps to enhance cooperation and synergy between the two navies. These include enhanced operational engagements, interoperability, exchange of best practices, collaborative capacity building, and training exchange initiatives.
Indian Navy ships INS Delhi, Shakti, and Kiltan, belonging to the Eastern Fleet, are currently in Manila coinciding with President Marcos’ visit to New Delhi. The visits reaffirmed the strategic importance of the event and the high-level engagement with the Philippine Navy, representing India’s maritime outreach in the region, according to an official statement.
During the port call, several harbour interactions are scheduled between the Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy. These include operational planning discussions, subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE), cross-deck visits, and other professional and social engagements aimed at enhancing mutual learning and interoperability, per the statement.
The visit will also feature a bilateral maritime exercise between the two navies, focusing on joint manoeuvres and communication protocols to improve preparedness, build mutual trust, and strengthen operational synergy in the maritime domain.
Defence cooperation is one of the strong pillars of bilateral relations and a promising area for future collaboration between India and the Philippines. The navies of both countries are also working on hydrographic cooperation. India has been consistent in its position on freedom of navigation and territorial integrity in the South China Sea region.
