Germany pushes $8 billion submarine deal and broader defence ties with India

Germany’s ambassador to India, Jasper Wieck, told officials that the $8 billion submarine contract—linking Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders to produce six conventional submarines in India—is ready for signing, pending India’s internal procedures. He described the deal as a gateway to expanded defence cooperation, citing interest in unmanned platforms, cyber capabilities, missile technology and sensor systems, and pointed to a “180-degree shift” in Berlin’s export-licence policy toward India.

Wieck said Germany aims to double one outlet $51 billion trade volume within five years by leveraging the India-EU free-trade agreement, and to increase yearly skilled-worker visas from 60,000 to 80,000. He warned that a deteriorating strategic environment—marked by Russia’s revisionist moves in Europe and China’s growing Indo-Pacific assertiveness—makes deeper ties essential. Additional steps include deploying a German liaison officer to New Delhi’s Indo-Pacific Information Fusion Cell and supporting India’s energy security transition away from Russian oil. The ambassador affirmed that domestic political shifts in Germany will not affect the partnership.