India-Tanzania Expand Defence Cooperation

The fourth Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting between India and Tanzania was held in Tanzania===Zanzibar from February 2-3. Both nations reviewed their ongoing defence cooperation and discussed expanding collaboration into new areas. Key discussion points included military training, service-to-service cooperation, maritime security, and defence industry collaboration. New avenues explored were counter-terrorism, peacekeeping training, and capacity building in niche areas such as Electronic Warfare (EW), Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Military medicine was identified as a potential new area for cooperation. Significantly, both sides agreed to initiate cooperation between their Air Forces, complementing existing ties between their Navies and Armies. The Indian delegation was led by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary (Defence Cooperation), and the Tanzanian delegation by Ibrahim Mhona, Chief of Operations and Training, TPDF. Bishwadip Dey, High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, also attended. This meeting reinforces the strategic partnership between India and Tanzania, guided by a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation.