Germany will station a Liaison Officer at India's Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) by June, highlighting growing maritime security cooperation.
Germany is set to station a Liaison Officer at the Gurugram-based Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), with documentation between the two countries at an advanced stage.
According to sources in the defence and security establishment, the German officer is expected to join the IFC-IOR within the next few months, likely before June this year.
The development assumes significance in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on January 12. Chancellor Merz is on a two-day visit to India beginning Monday, marking his first trip to the country since assuming office eight months ago.
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Sources said the decision to host a German Liaison Officer at the IFC-IOR reflects the growing maritime security cooperation between the two nations.
Established in 2018, the IFC-IOR has played a vital role in enhancing maritime domain awareness and strengthening collaborative maritime security efforts through information sharing, cooperation, and capacity building across the Indian Ocean Region.
The IFC-IOR is tasked with collating, fusing, and disseminating intelligence on ‘white shipping’ in the Indian Ocean. It aims to host up to 40 international liaison officers once suitable infrastructure to accommodate them is in place.
Since its inception, the IFC-IOR has hosted international liaison officers from 15 countries and collaborates with 57 maritime security agencies and 25 partner nations.
“The two countries are exploring ways to deepen ties,” a source said.
Currently, the Indian Navy operates four Shishumar-class diesel-electric submarines constructed under a transfer-of-technology arrangement with Germany.
In 2024, Germany’s Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft carried out aerial manoeuvres at Sulur in Tamil Nadu during Tarang Shakti 2024, the first-ever multinational air exercise conducted by the Indian Air Force.
India and Germany have shared a strategic partnership since 2000, which has been further strengthened through inter-governmental consultations at the level of heads of government since 2011.
Additionally, New Delhi and Berlin are moving towards a strategic shift in defence manufacturing cooperation.
Last week, German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and discussed the co-production of defence equipment ahead of Chancellor Merz’s visit.
In 2025, Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and German shipyard Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) emerged as the frontrunners for the ₹70,000-crore Project-75I to build six advanced submarines in India to enhance the Navy’s underwater capabilities.
The MDL–TKMS combine edged out their only competitor, the Larsen & Toubro–Navantia partnership, which failed to meet the Navy’s technical requirements.
“The agreement is at an advanced stage and is expected to be signed before the current financial year ends on March 31, 2026,” a source said.
As part of the contract, TKMS will transfer submarine design and technology to India.
