Indian Army, And Their Motorcycles, Boosting Cooperation With Mongolia

Indian Army (via StratPost)

The Indian Army stunt motorcycle team performs in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Mongolia and India are currently performing joint military exercises, as each country is concerned about a rising China, reports Defense News:

Indian and Mongolian troops will hold joint exercises in Mongolia Sept. 15-29, said an Indian Defence Ministry official. Last year, Mongolian troops held joint exercises on Indian soil....

"New Delhi wants to have better ties with the Chinese neighbor with an on eye on containing China," said Mahindra Singh, retired Indian Army major general.

A report in The Diplomat gives a little more context, noting that both sides hope that they can improve trade relations by boosting military cooperation:

An estimated 40 Indian troops will take part in the military exercises, which will focus on counterinsurgency training. Last month, Indian troops took part in the sixth annual Khaan Quest, a week-long Mongolian-hosted joint-training exercise aimed at enhancing cooperation between regional militaries...

The rapid amelioration of Indo-Mongolian security ties was formalized when both countries signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement during [ Indian President Pratibha] Patil’s visit in July. The pact isn’t overly comprehensive though, as Mongolia remains cautious about getting too cosy with India on defence issues. India, however, seems keen to enhance defence ties rapidly. The rationale behind this is simple—New Delhi believes that it will be more competitive in Mongolia’s lucrative mining and trade sectors if it diversifies its engagement, morphing from investor to strategic partner.

Mongolia also has a significant interest in wooing India’s defence expertise. First, enhanced engagement complements Mongolia’s strategy to recruit large markets to ramp up their investments in the country. Of primary interest to India is Mongolia's mineral sector, including significant reserves of coal, copper, gold, and uranium.

Secondly, regional instability in Central Asia remains a concern for Ulan Bator and it’s keen to profit off its reputation as the lead democracy in a land of kleptocrats. Finally—and most important—China’s continued military ascendency and all the implications that go along with this necessitate Mongolia’s outreach to other power brokers in Asia, such as India, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States.

India also has been boosting cooperation with other of China's neighbors in Central Asia, like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Perhaps the greatest indication -- well, at least the most fun indication -- of the importance Delhi places on relations with Ulaanbaatar is that, for the first time, the Indian Army's stunt motorcycle team performed abroad, during a visit of the Indian Army chief to Mongolia. StratPost has a full photo gallery of the event, which is highly recommended.