This article gives a region-by-region overview of the defence cooperation that Diplo's country guides record between India and other countries: agreements and MoUs, dialogue mechanisms and joint exercises. It is compiled from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral briefs summarised in Diplo's country guides, and each entry carries the date of the brief it comes from. It is a selection: many briefs mention defence contacts, and this article covers those that describe exercises, agreements or standing dialogues. Exercise names are spelt as the briefs give them.

South Asia

  • Bangladesh: the MEA brief of July 2026 states that defence cooperation remains focused on training exchanges, joint exercises and capacity building. Exercise BONGOSAGAR-25 and CORPAT were conducted in March 2025 in the Bay of Bengal.
  • Sri Lanka: according to the MEA brief of June 2026, an Annual Defence Dialogue is held between the Defence Secretaries, and the exercises SLINEX (naval) and MITRA SHAKTI (army) are held every year, alternately in India and Sri Lanka. MITRA SHAKTI was last held in India in November 2025 and SLINEX in Colombo in August 2025. An MoU on Defence Cooperation was signed during Prime Minister Modi's visit in April 2025.
  • Maldives: the MEA brief of June 2026 records an annual Defence Cooperation Dialogue at Defence Secretary level since July 2016, with the 6th held in Maldives on 6 and 7 October 2025. It names four major joint exercises: Ekuverin and Ekatha (bilateral), Dosti (trilateral, with Sri Lanka) and Ex HADR.
  • Nepal: the MEA brief of July 2026 states that the two armies engage through institutionalised bilateral mechanisms, visits, training, exercises (Surya Kiran) and the supply of equipment.

Southeast and East Asia

  • Indonesia: according to the MEA brief of June 2026, a formal agreement on Defence Cooperation was signed in 2001 and renewed in 2006, and an MoU on Defence Cooperation was signed in 2018. Exercises listed include the bilateral army exercise Garuda Shakti (10th edition) and the bilateral naval exercise Samudra Shakti (5th edition). The 7th Joint Defence Cooperation Committee met in New Delhi on 3 May 2024.
  • Malaysia: the MEA brief of June 2026 identifies the MoU on Defence Cooperation of 1993 as the foundation of defence relations, amended in July 2023. Bilateral exercises are HARIMAU SHAKTI (army, last held in Rajasthan in December 2025), SAMUDRA LAKSAMANA (navy) and UDARA SHAKTI (air force, at Kuantan in August 2024). The 13th MIDCOM took place on 19 February 2025.
  • Singapore: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, cooperation is pursued under the Defence Cooperation Agreement of 2003, renewed as the Enhanced Agreement for Defence Cooperation in 2015. There are bilateral exercises for all three services: Agni Warrior (army), SIMBEX (navy) and Joint Military Training (air force). The 16th Defence Policy Dialogue was held in May 2026.
  • Philippines: the MEA brief of April 2026 records that India delivered the first batch of the BrahMos Missile system on 19 April 2024, and that the two countries held their first-ever bilateral maritime exercise on 3 and 4 August 2025 in the South China Sea. A Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed in 2006.
  • Cambodia: the MEA brief of June 2026 records the Inaugural India-Cambodia Bilateral Army Exercise (CINBAX-II) in Kampong Speu Province in May 2026.
  • Republic of Korea: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, the inaugural India-ROK bilateral naval exercise took place in the ROK on 13 to 16 October 2025.
  • Japan: the MEA brief of June 2026 lists a Memorandum of Defence Cooperation and Exchanges signed in 2014, and states that all three Indian services hold regular Staff Talks with the Japanese Self Defense Force.

Central Asia and Mongolia

  • Kazakhstan: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, cooperation runs under an agreement on Defence and Military Technical Cooperation signed in July 2015, and the KAZIND series of joint military exercises has been held in both countries. The Seventh JWG on Defence and Military-technical Cooperation was held in Astana in April 2025.
  • Kyrgyzstan: the MEA brief of June 2026 records four meetings of the JWG on Defence Cooperation, the latest in New Delhi on 6 and 7 April 2026, and the Joint Forces Special Exercise KHANJAR-XIII, held in India from 4 to 17 February 2026.
  • Mongolia: according to the MEA brief of April 2026, the joint exercise Nomadic Elephant is held annually, and Indian participation in the multilateral peacekeeping exercise Khan Quest was upgraded to contingent level in June 2022. The 13th JWG on defence cooperation was held in New Delhi on 7 February 2025.

West Asia and North Africa

  • Oman: the MEA brief of July 2026 states that Oman is the only Gulf country with which all three Services of India's Armed Forces hold joint exercises every two years. The latest editions recorded are Naseem Al-Bahr (14th, navy, October 2024), Eastern Bridge (7th, air force, September 2024) and Al-Najah (5th, army, September 2024).
  • Saudi Arabia: according to the MEA brief of May 2026, two editions of the naval exercise Al Mohed Al Hindi were held, in 2021 and 2023, and the first bilateral land force exercise, EX-SADA TANSEEQ-I, was held in 2024 in Rajasthan. The 7th Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation met in New Delhi in August 2025.
  • Qatar: the MEA brief of July 2026 records a Defence Cooperation Agreement signed in November 2008 and the second bilateral maritime exercise, Za'ir Al Bahr, in August 2021.
  • Egypt: according to the MEA brief of April 2026, ten Joint Defence Committee meetings have been held since 2006, the 10th in New Delhi in July 2024. The third edition of Exercise Cyclone was held in February 2025 in Rajasthan, and Indian forces took part in the multilateral exercise Bright Star-2025.
  • Morocco: the MEA brief of April 2026 records an MoU on Defence Cooperation covering defence industry, capacity building and counter-terrorism.

Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean

  • Seychelles: according to the MEA brief of June 2026, eleven editions of the biennial joint military exercise LAMITYE have been held, the latest in Victoria from 9 to 20 March 2026, the first tri-service edition.
  • Nigeria: the MEA brief of April 2026 records a bilateral MoU on Defence Cooperation signed in October 2007 and lists five meetings of the Joint Defence Coordination Committee.
  • Ethiopia: according to the MEA brief of April 2026, a defence cooperation MoU was signed on 11 February 2025, and the first Joint Defence Cooperation meeting was held in New Delhi from 15 to 17 October 2025.
  • Rwanda: the MEA brief of April 2026 records the first meeting of the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee in Kigali on 8 February 2024.

Europe

  • France: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, cooperation is reviewed under an Annual Defence Dialogue at Defence Minister level; the sixth was held on 17 February 2026 in Bengaluru, where the ten-year defence cooperation agreement was renewed. Exercises recorded include SHAKTI 2025, GARUDA (eighth edition, November 2025) and VARUNA (March 2025).
  • Germany: the MEA brief of June 2026 records a Bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement of September 2006 and the High Defence Committee at Defence Secretary level. Germany took part in the MILAN exercise in February 2026 and in Exercise MALABAR 2025.
  • Russia: according to the MEA brief of June 2026, the 14th edition of the joint training exercise INDRA was held in Bikaner from 6 to 15 October 2025, and the naval exercise INDRA 2025 from 28 March to 2 April 2025.
  • Greece: the MEA brief of February 2025 records an MoU on Defence Cooperation signed in December 1998. The Greek Air Force took part in Tarang Shakti-2024, and the Indian Air Force in INIOCHOS-24 in Greece in September 2024.
  • Italy: according to the MEA brief of May 2026, an Agreement on defence cooperation was signed in October 2023, and the two countries hold regular Joint Defence Committee and Military Cooperation Group meetings.
  • Spain: the MEA brief of July 2026 records that the Indian Air Force took part in Exercise Ocean Sky in the Canary Islands from 15 to 31 October 2025.

The Americas and Oceania

  • Brazil: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, a defence cooperation agreement signed in 2003 and ratified in 2006 created a Joint Defence Committee, whose 8th meeting was held on 29 and 30 July 2025 in Brasilia.
  • Colombia: the MEA brief of June 2026 records a Defence Cooperation Agreement of February 2009, which established a Joint Defence Committee.
  • Canada: according to the MEA brief of July 2026, both countries agreed to institutionalise an India-Canada Defence Dialogue.
  • New Zealand: the MEA brief of July 2026 records an MoU on Defence Cooperation signed in March 2025, and the first Defence Strategic Dialogue held in New Delhi on 5 August 2025.
  • Fiji: according to the MEA brief of June 2026, an MOU on Defence Cooperation was signed in 2017, and the first Joint Working Group meeting on Defence took place in Fiji on 18 July 2025.

Reading this overview

The briefs describe defence ties in different levels of detail, and the regional grouping is only for navigation. The briefs do not provide a common measure for comparing the scale of cooperation, so no ranking is given. Several briefs also mention the Indian Navy's multilateral exercise MILAN and defence exhibitions such as Aero India and DefExpo; these are noted above only where they illustrate a bilateral link. Each country guide gives the full list of agreements, visits and exercises recorded in its brief.