Why in news?

India has withdrawn its personnel and equipment from the Ayni airbase in Tajikistan, its only full-fledged overseas military base, which it had developed and maintained for nearly two decades.

The base had provided strategic access to Central Asia and a geopolitical advantage over Pakistan, while symbolising India’s growing influence in a region shaped by Russia and China.

The withdrawal marks a significant shift in India’s regional military presence and strategic outreach in Central Asia.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Ayni Airbase: India’s Strategic Outpost in Central Asia
• Why India Withdrew from the Ayni Airbase?
• Strategic Implications of India’s Withdrawal from Ayni Airbase
• India’s Overseas Military Presence: Limited but Strategically Expanding

Ayni Airbase: India’s Strategic Outpost in Central Asia

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• The Ayni airbase in Tajikistan, located about 20 km from Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor near PoK and China’s Xinjiang, served as a key strategic hub for India.
• Initially used during India’s support to the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, it also facilitated the evacuation of Indian nationals from Kabul in 2021.
• Originally a Soviet-era base, Ayni was renovated by India at a cost of around $80 million under a 2002 bilateral agreement, with work led by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• India upgraded it with a 3,200-metre runway, hangars, fuel depots, and air traffic control systems.
• At its peak, about 200 Indian Army and IAF personnel, along with Sukhoi-30 MKI jets, were stationed there.
• After the agreement lapsed, India began withdrawing its troops and assets in 2022, marking the end of its two-decade military presence at this vital Central Asian outpost.

Why India Withdrew from the Ayni Airbase?

• India stated that its bilateral agreement with Tajikistan for the rehabilitation and use of the Ayni airbase had ended, and the facility was formally handed back in 2022.
• The Tajik government reportedly declined to renew the lease, influenced by pressure from Russia and China, both of which have strong strategic interests in the region.
• India’s withdrawal of personnel and equipment followed quietly, with the development becoming public only recently.

Strategic Implications of India’s Withdrawal from Ayni Airbase

• The Ayni airbase was India’s only operational overseas military base, giving it a crucial strategic foothold in Central Asia.
• Located near Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor—bordering China’s Xinjiang and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—the base offered India valuable security and intelligence advantages in a geopolitically sensitive region.
• India’s withdrawal marks a setback for its regional influence, as it loses a key vantage point for monitoring activities involving China and Pakistan.
• It also ends two decades of significant investment in building and maintaining this strategic outpost.

India’s Overseas Military Presence: Limited but Strategically Expanding

• With the withdrawal from Ayni airbase in Tajikistan, India currently does not operate any full-fledged overseas military base in another country.
• Strategic Infrastructure in Mauritius
  • In 2024, India and Mauritius inaugurated an airstrip and jetty on Agaléga Island in the western Indian Ocean.
  • These facilities extend India’s maritime reach across the Indian Ocean and enhance surveillance over waters near Africa’s east coast, countering China’s growing influence.
  • The upgraded airstrip now allows operation of P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft, strengthening India’s naval capabilities.
• Military Cooperation with Bhutan
  • India maintains a training team in Bhutan, responsible for training the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) and the Royal Bodyguard (RBG), symbolising deep military cooperation.
  • India has previously operated overseas during specific missions — from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the 1971 war and the IPKF deployment, respectively.
• Global Context
  • While India has a modest overseas footprint, China operates a base in Djibouti and is reportedly expanding in Tajikistan.
  • The United States, by contrast, maintains over 100 overseas bases across key regions like South Korea, Qatar, Germany, and Japan, underscoring the global disparity in military reach.