Indian Navy’s Expanding Role Beyond the Reaches of the Indian Ocean

Dec. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- The SLOC’s in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) supply and sustain 65 % of the world’s trade and has five major choke points. Thus, there is interest by nations to enter into strategic understandings with India. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has rapidly grown to be a versatile instrument of India’s comprehensive national power. Its foreign cooperation efforts are driven by the intention to enhance regional stability through constructive engagement with regional and extra regional maritime states.

Growing responsibilities and obligations beyond its immediate littorals are therefore inevitable. In this quest, overcoming India’s traditional continental mindset will remain the major challenge.  There have been numerous instances of the IN engaging with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in IOR.  Such trends will accelerate in the future.  China’s growing footprint in IOR is emerging as a major concern in the corridors of power in New Delhi.  Given India’s growing energy needs, spread of its diasporas and emerging posture of China’s Navy, the Indian Navy will emerge as a India’s foremost foreign policy tool, as the decades unfold. To this end, the government has committed that funds for Navy's expansion will not be a limitation.