A case for a pan-Indian Ocean information grid for improved maritime domain awareness

The Indian Ocean region, in recent years, has witnessed a proliferation of information centers which have emerged in response to various sub-regional requirements and sometimes representing diverse interest groups. This paper highlights the gaps in regional maritime domain awareness (MDA) and argues that the multiple disparate information systems have not contributed to improving overall maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean region. It puts forward a case for a pan-Indian Ocean information grid that could integrate the various information sources to provide comprehensive MDA for the region

Maritime Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region: Assessment of India’s Maritime Strategy to be the Regional “Net Security Provider”

This thesis assesses India’s maritime strategy and critically examines its efficacy and sustainability including India’s ambitions to be the “net security provider” for the region.” It seeks to answer the question, whether or not the extant maritime strategy would help India maintain its balance of power with respect to China, and recommends complementary actions and alternate strategic options for India to fulfill its goals in the Indian Ocean. The first part of the thesis examines the entire range of strategic maritime threats and challenges posed to India by the evolving Indian Ocean security environment of the twenty-first century. These include the non-traditional threats such as piracy, maritime terrorism and illegal fishing as well as traditional threats posed by India’s hostile neighbours, China and Pakistan. Subsequently, it looks at how India’s foreign policy has shaped its maritime doctrine and strategy, and examines the stated objectives of India’s maritime strategy that broadly envisage shaping a favourable environment in the India Ocean by emerging as the primary “net security provider” for the littoral states. Next, the thesis explores how the changing world security order of the twenty-first century facilitates maritime security cooperation, and proposes an innovative framework that helps to empirically measure the degree of cooperation between India and regional states. Based on this framework, the thesis then examines India’s bilateral maritime security cooperation initiatives with various regional states and extra-regional powers, and critically analyses the extent and scope of these relations supported by empirical evidence. This is followed by a comparative assessment of India’s bilateral security ties vis-a-vis Chinese influence in the region. The thesis argues that although India has successfully established durable bilateral security ties with most regional states, India’s maritime strategy is unsustainable in the long term and challenged by rising Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean. The study brings out the inherent risks in India’s maritime strategy and proposes an alternate strategic option for India that leverages its geostrategic advantage in the Indian Ocean. The thesis also explores India’s role in multilateral maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean and identifies the risks in India’s insular approach to multilateral maritime security cooperation in the region, arguing for involvement of China as well as other extra-regional stakeholders in the maritime security of the region. The thesis posits that as Chinese maritime power follows its trade in the Indian Ocean region, the threat of China altering the extant balance of power with India in its favour, looms large. What then are the other strategic options for India? The thesis broadly recommends the following: India must realise that national strategy is about leveraging own means rather than dependency on foreign relations which could change over time. Hence, the current focus of India’s maritime strategy based on building bilateral relations could be wasteful and unsustainable. The thesis identifies the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the weakest link in India’s maritime strategy. It argues that by failing to develop the Andamans as a full-fledged operational command India has failed to leverage their geostrategic potential, overlooking the mouth of the Strait of Malacca. The expansion of China’s maritime power coupled with its rising economic and political influence in the Indian Ocean region could lead to a permanent Chinese presence in the region that could effectively neutralise India’s geographic advantage in the Indian Ocean. Thus, India must strengthen the Andaman and Nicobar command and upgrade it to the level of other naval commands. Furthermore, India should concurrently endeavor to strengthen maritime multilateralism in the Indian Ocean region and work towards closer integration of the extant sub-regional institutions. India’s current approach to take complete “ownership” of the various regional fora in its bid to emerge as the sole “security provider” for the region could potentially stymie growth of maritime multilateralism in the Indian Ocean region paving the way for a larger role by China. Finally, the thesis recommends that India must work towards development of a pan-Indian Ocean information grid, as a regional strategic project that could help to link together the various stakeholders in regional security and help to strengthen India’s position in the region

Expansion of Chinese maritime power in the Indian Ocean: implications for India

This paper examines the ongoing expansion of China’s maritime power in the Indian Ocean region and analyses its potential impact on the extant balance of Sino-Indian maritime power in the region. It posits that the expanding Chinese maritime power in the Indian Ocean could seriously challenge India’s geostrategic advantage in the near future and that India can no longer take for granted its strategic location at the centre of the Indian Ocean nor the strength of its historical ties with the various regional states. It further argues that the current Indian maritime strategy for the Indian Ocean region, to be the “net security provider” for the entire region, is unsustainable and thus needs to be reviewed and rebuilt leveraging the geographic advantage enjoyed by India over China in the Indian Ocean

Malacca Strait security initiative: potential for Indian navy\u27s participation in the evolving regional security environment

The trilateral coordinated anti-piracy ship patrols in the Strait of Malacca and of Singapore (Straits)—codenamed Operation MALSINDO—by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, which commenced on July 20, 2004 to combat the menace of piracy have completed more than five successful years. The regional states have jointly developed a unique mechanism for ensuring safety and security in the Straits. The littorals, mindful of their sovereign sensitivities, have consistently declined offers of assistance from India and other user states in the security patrols. Meanwhile, the security situation in the Indian Ocean region is evolving fast, throwing up fresh challenges. The number of piracy attacks doubled in 2009 from a year ago, with the largest number of attacks taking place in the Indian Ocean. Not surprisingly, a majority of the G20 navies are currently deployed in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy patrols. In the prevailing scenario, is the Malacca Strait Security Initiative (MSSI) geared to address future security challenges, when the maritime resources of the littorals have been stretched too far? Is the issue of sovereign rights of the littorals being taken too far at the cost of jeopardising the security of world shipping? This article provides an overall assessment of the current safety and security initiatives in the Straits and examines the emerging trends and challenges in combating non-traditional threats in the Indian Ocean region. The author concludes that the evolving security scenario offers many opportunities for regional states to cooperate with the Indian Navy in ensuring security of the Straits

Maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region: The role of the Indian Navy

The changing maritime security scenario in the post-Cold War era is reflected in the transformation of naval doctrines, strategies and force structures evident in several Indian Ocean navies. There is an increasing focus on combating against the common non-traditional threats of the region through naval cooperation. India, as the largest naval power in the region, has a moral responsibility to foster maritime security cooperation in the region and ensure the security of shipping in the Indian Ocean. For India, in order to preserve a favourable balance of power in the Indian Ocean, in the face of a rising China and an adversarial Pakistan, and to maintain good order and peace amidst emerging non-traditional threats of the twenty-first century, it is imperative to maintain an all-round balanced naval capability. The aim of this paper is to define a maritime cooperation strategy for India that would enable India to leverage its naval power in order to meet the challenges of the post-Cold War era

Multilateral maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region: status and prospects

This article is based on a presentation made by the author at the Indian Ocean Regional Association Dialogue 2015 (a Track 1.5 initiative) at Perth in September 2015. It provides an overview of the extant sub-regional and regional multilateral maritime security cooperation mechanisms in the Indian Ocean Region to highlights the lessons learnt. It argues that while the sub-regional organisations seem to be working well, the regional organisations need to evolve in keeping with the changed maritime environment of the 21st century

Combating Piracy in the Indian Ocean

Piracy in the Indian Ocean has re-emerged after a period lasting over a century. The 21st century pirates armed with modern weapons and GPS sets, operating from regular sea going vessels have demonstrated their ability to attacks ships with impunity in the high seas. This poses a serious challenge for India since about 90% of India\u27s trade is carried by sea and almost 100,000 Indian seamen work on board various merchant ships. This monograph by a seasoned naval officer discusses the resurgence of piracy in the 21st century in the Strait of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden regions of the Indian Ocean. It highlights the emerging trends in piracy and the resultant challenges before the security agencies and the international shipping industry to bring out specific policy options for India to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean

Aircraft Carrier in the 21st Century

The aircraft carrier in the 21st century continues to remain the most conspicuous symbol of a nation\u27s maritime power. While the number of carrier operating navies has risen from just three at the end of World War II to nine in the 21st century, the total number of carriers in the same period has declined from over 150 to less than 25 aircraft carriers.These citadels of maritime power are operated by a few select countries which include Brazil, France, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. China is expected to become the 10th member of this elite club shortly.Even though the aircraft carrier has proved to be a powerful and credible instrument of state policy, it has always remained at the centre of controversy and debate over its employability and substantive advantage over lower-cost alternatives, in the evolving battlespace environment. Some of its critics have labeled the carrier as an expensive relicof outdated World War II thinking with limited chances of survivability in the face of key threats like enhanced battle space transparency, improved submarine capabilities, better anti-ship missiles and the hazard from long-range shore-based strike aircraft to aircraft carriers at sea.This book provides a comprehensive overview of the ongoing debate over the continuing relevance, roles, missions and viability of aircraft carriers in the modern environment. It also includes an instructive perspective from the various carrier operating navies of the world and internationally acknowledged experts in the field over the continued salience of the carrier in the 21st century