India and the UAE deepen defence cooperation as Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s Abu Dhabi visit underscores training convergence, military diplomacy and shared strategic priorities.
India and the United Arab Emirates have reaffirmed their growing strategic partnership with a renewed focus on “positive military engagement”, as India’s Chief of Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, concluded a high-level visit to Abu Dhabi marked by wide-ranging defence interactions.
General Dwivedi held detailed discussions with Major General Staff Yousef Maayouf Saeed Al Hallami, Commander of the UAE Land Forces, with both sides underlining the importance of closer military-to-military cooperation, enhanced training convergence and deeper defence engagement. The talks reflected the steady evolution of India-UAE ties from traditional defence cooperation to a more comprehensive strategic relationship rooted in trust, interoperability and shared regional interests.
According to the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information, the two senior commanders explored avenues to strengthen professional exchanges, align training doctrines and expand collaboration across emerging areas of military cooperation. The emphasis on “positive military engagement” signals a shift towards sustained, structured interaction rather than episodic exchanges, in line with the broader strategic vision shared by New Delhi and Abu Dhabi.
As part of his engagements, General Dwivedi also visited the UAE Land Forces Museum, where he was briefed on the history, traditions and operational journey of the Emirati Army. The visit underscored the importance both nations attach to understanding each other’s military ethos and institutional evolution, a factor seen as essential for building long-term defence partnerships.
Earlier in the day, the Army Chief met India’s Ambassador to the UAE, Dr Deepak Mittal, to review the wider trajectory of bilateral cooperation. Discussions focused on strengthening military diplomacy, expanding defence engagement and aligning strategic priorities amid a rapidly evolving regional and global security environment. The interaction highlighted the growing convergence between India’s foreign policy outreach and its defence diplomacy in West Asia.
General Dwivedi’s visit forms part of India’s sustained effort to deepen defence ties with friendly nations, particularly those that play a key role in regional stability and maritime security. During his stay, he called on senior leadership of the UAE Armed Forces and received briefings on the structure, roles and operational capabilities of the UAE Army. He also visited key military establishments and interacted with officers and troops, reinforcing people-to-people links within the armed forces.
A major highlight of the visit was General Dwivedi’s address to officers at the UAE National Defence College in Abu Dhabi. In his speech, the Army Chief outlined the evolving global security landscape and the changing character of modern conflict, pointing to the growing influence of technology, hybrid threats and multi-domain operations in contemporary warfare.
He stressed the critical leadership role played by senior military officers in navigating these challenges and emphasised the need for collaborative engagement through bilateral and multilateral defence frameworks. According to the Indian Army, General Dwivedi underlined the value of strong defence partnerships between India, the UAE and other regional stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes and contribute to regional and global peace and security.
The Ministry of Defence said the engagements were aimed at enhancing strategic understanding, promoting professional military exchanges and building institutional mechanisms that support long-term defence cooperation. The visit also reflects India’s broader approach of strengthening defence relationships in West Asia, a region of growing strategic importance for energy security, trade routes and regional stability.
