Britain posts liaison officer at Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre

New Delhi: The UK on Tuesday posted a liaison officer at the Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre (IFC) that has emerged as a key hub in tracking movements of ships and other developments in the Indian Ocean, a region witnessing increasing Chinese naval presence.

The UK joined a select group of countries such as the US, Australia, Japan and France to depute officials at the Gurgaon-based facility.

"The UK's International Liaison Officer (ILO) has today joined the Indian Navy's

Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)," the British High Commission said.

The Indian Navy established the IFC-IOR in 2018 to effectively keep track of the shipping traffic as well as other critical developments in the region under a collaborative framework with like-minded countries.

The positioning of the officer at the centre comes ahead of a planned visit to India by the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

"Lt Commander Stephen Smith will be based full-time at the Centre, working directly with the Indian armed forces and fellow liaison officers from partner nations to enhance maritime domain awareness in the region," the high commission said.

"He will be inducted in an official ceremony as the UK's first ILO at the Centre, building on the UK and Indian prime ministers' historic commitment to boost cooperation with the launch of the 2030 Roadmap in May," it said.

Admiral Tony Radakin KCB ADC, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff of the UK described it as a significant step towards maritime domain awareness by both India and Britain.