India Army Chief General Manoj Pande will be traveling to Tanzania that is scheduled from 2nd to 5th October to strengthen military ties in the African region.
Bilateral defense ties:
General Manoj Pande will be meeting high-ranking officials like Defense Minister of Tanzania Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax and the Chief of Defense Force General Jacob John Mkunda that aims to promote bilateral ties. During his trip, the Army chief may meet Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The meeting is supposed to address military collaborations between India and Tanzania.
Itinerary for the tour:
General Pande will address National Defense College in Tanzania’s largest city Dar es Salaam where he will discuss and enlighten them about India’s defense strategies and policies. Then he will go to Duluti where he will meet the commandant Maj Gen Wilbert Augustine Ibuge and faculty of the Command and Staff College to finally discuss the potential defense collaborations between the two countries.
The Army chief’s itinerary also includes visits to Zanzibar and meetings with President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, as well as an interaction with Gen Saidi Hamisi Saidi, commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade.
Mini Defense Exposition:
The second segment of the tour is a mini defense exposition of India-Tanzania which coincides with the visit of general Pande to Dar es Salaam. This exposition will exhibit the strong defense structure of India showcasing India as a growing prowess in Homegrown defense industry infrastructure. This EXPO was organized by the Indian High Commission in which several government and private companies participated. (Total 16 Indian companies including 7 govt and 9 private)
Tanzania-India Military Cooperation:
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh talked about the current military relationships between India and Tanzania which he mentioned as “robust and thriving”. After the signing of Memorandum of understanding regarding the defense sector in October 2003 the ties have been quite strong. This collaboration was emphasized during the second meeting of the India-Tanzania Joint Defense Cooperation Committee, which took place in Arusha, on June 28 and 29 this year.
The Indian and Tanzanian armies reserve vacancies in their military courses, which has allowed both armies to become close, share ideas, and learn from each other. For five years, the Tanzanian army has been joining UN Peacekeeping training in India. Likewise, since 2017, an Indian Army training team has been at the Command and Staff College in Duluti. Tanzanian delegates have also been visiting India a lot lately which shows our strong military bond.
China’s growing military base in Africa:
In July 2017, China dispatched troops to establish its inaugural overseas naval base in Djibouti, a strategic location in Africa. This move, facilitated by vessels like the Jinggangshan and Donghai Island, underlined China’s expanding security role on the continent, drawing global attention. In the last few years, China has extended its military bases to over 17 ports in Africa increasing its access to Western Indian Ocean which is the main reason for India’ worry.
India’ counter to China’s evil plans:
India has been actively reaching out to African nations recently to increase its military influence in the region to combat China. These foreign travels and military meetings are supposed to strengthen India’s bond with African nations. India is in the process of constructing military infrastructure on Agalega Island in the western Indian Ocean, which encompasses a 3,000-meter runway and two additional jetties. The construction of this infrastructure will enable India to maintain a larger military presence in the region.
Recently Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh went on a tour to Nigeria for the same reason for which General Pande visited Egypt. India is trying its best to develop partnerships with other nations. It is also looking for opportunities to export defense technologies to African nations like BrahMos, which is a supersonic cruise missile developed jointly by India and Russia and also Akash Air missiles, which is an indigenously developed surface-to-air missile system in India.
We hope this tour to Tanzania proves successful for General Manoj Pande and India is able to execute its plan and counter every evil strategy of China.
