"Multinational military exercises hosted by India mark a shift from participant to convenor in defence diplomacy." Discuss with reference to Exercise Tarang Shakti.

In defence diplomacy, a country becomes a convenor when it sets the venue, the agenda and the guest list for others. Exercise Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) multinational air exercise, shows this shift. Its 2026 edition at Jodhpur, themed "Power in Partnership", hosted seven Friendly Foreign Countries and 32 observer nations [1].

Evidence of the shift: participant to convenor

• Bilateral to multilateral: Tarang Shakti replaced Ex Garuda, earlier a bilateral IAF–French exercise [3].
• Widening circle: observer nations rose from 21 in Phase II of 2024 [2] to 32 in 2026 [1].
• Bridging coalitions: the USA, France, Germany and Australia flew alongside the UAE, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This shows India's aim to be a key contributor to regional and global security [1].
• Agenda-setting: the 2024 Air Domain Awareness symposium drew delegates from 27 nations [4].

Dimensions of the convenor role

• Operational: joint missions build interoperability. PIB links this to Operation Sindoor's lessons on integrated planning and credible deterrence [1].
• Industrial: Tejas and Prachand were showcased and partners went on industrial tours [1]. In 2024, the IDAX-II exposition ran alongside the exercise [5]. The exercise works as a defence-export shopfront.
• Soft power: yoga, heritage visits, an International Night and an Open Day with over 20,000 visitors [1].

Limits of the shift

• Capacity gap: the IAF had 31 active fighter squadrons against 42 authorised in December 2024 [6]. A display of interoperability does not show how long India could sustain air operations in a war.
• Import dependence: India was the second-largest arms importer in 2020–24 [6]. Several co-participants are its suppliers, so convening does not yet mean equal standing.
• Spectacle risk: without matching capability, hosting may look like showmanship over strength.

Tarang Shakti shows that India now convenes its own coalition rather than only attending other countries' exercises, combining training, industry and soft power. To make this lasting, India must back it with timely delivery of indigenous aircraft and co-production deals, such as building most of the 114 Rafales in India [6]. That would make "Power in Partnership" a route to Aatmanirbharta and a credible security role for India.