Maritime Security Challenges for the Indian Ocean Region (original) (raw)

2014

For a maritime nation like India, its conception of maritime security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and, specifically, its approach to maritime security has a long historical legacy. The modern Indian Navy has its origins in the colonial period. But it is the post-colonial period spanning independence and then the imperatives of the Cold War, and later to the interim phase in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present day strategic partnerships-all of which have contributed to moulding the Indian perspective of maritime security. This article looks at how India's conception of maritime security in the IOR has been affected by these changes and challenges.

Building blocks for maritime security in the Indian Ocean

Ocean Development & International Law, 1996

Marine affairs is of common interest to all littoral and island Indian Ocean states. This article therefore argues that it is an excellent "building block" for maritime security and cooperation in the region. Some suggestions are outlined to strengthen a building block approach to maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

Maritime Safety and Security in Indian Ocean

2016

The Indian Ocean is important to Singapore’s national interests given the island city-state’s geostrategic location. Towards the end of securing and promoting these interests in the Indian Ocean, Singapore has not only participated in regional institutions but also serves a modest “security provider” role as seen in its deployment of naval forces to join multinational counter-piracy operations off Somalia. However, because of the limitations of Singapore’s resource capacity, it becomes imperative to advocate an inclusive approach towards addressing the myriad of maritime safety and security challenges in the Indian Ocean. This includes focusing on building the capacities of the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, as well as careful involvement of extra-regional powers which bring forth niche capabilities.

Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean: Convergence Plus Cooperation Equals Resonance

The post-Cold War period has witnessed significant maritime developments. The intensification of trade-linked development and entering into force of Laws of the Seas in 1994 led to state interests being increasingly identified with the seas in terms of freedom of navigation and ocean resources, thus making maritime issues a major subset of national security. Events leading to 9/11 saw the addition of an amorphous dimension to existing threats, thus expanding the ambit of maritime security. While the scope of this paper is restricted to the northern Indian Ocean, globally, the Indian Ocean holds the maximum stakes in terms of vital resources and sea-lines; yet coincidentally, is also the most imperilled, especially in terms of asymmetric threats. India, an emerging power in the region, can assume the responsibility to address these threats through a proactive approach and convergence of interests with regional maritime players.

Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean: An Indian Perspective

Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Issues in the Indian Ocean

Sasakawa Peace Foundation's Policy Recommendations by the Quadripartite Commission on the Indian Ocean Regional Security: Appendix, 2018

The purpose of this paper is to identify the range of primary security issues in the Indian Ocean region and serve as a reference for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA’s contribution to the Quadripartite Commission on Indian Ocean Regional Security. These issues will be divided for analysis into the categories of traditional and non-traditional security (NTS). The paper finds that traditional security threats in the Indian Ocean such as maritime boundary disputes are low compared with those in the Pacific Ocean. The potential for the territorial conflict between India and Pakistan to spill over into the Indian Ocean remains the greatest traditional security challenge. Meanwhile, NTS issues such as trafficking and illegal fishing will continue to pose challenges to the Indian Ocean region. Given the persistence of these threats, attention will need to be focused on addressing them because they generally fly under the radar compared with more widely recognized NTS challenges such as natural disasters and terrorism from Islamic extremist organizations.

Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean: The Region-Centric Multilateral Approach

Center for International Strategic Studies, 2017

Indian Ocean is one of the most talked about oceans in the world today. Its significance is multidimensional: it has the most conflicts in its region and is the busiest conduit of world trade. It has also been the focus of super power rivalry during the Cold War and is gaining renewed attention in recent times as the geostrategic interests of the major world powers re-converge in its waters. With the rising politico-strategic foci on its shores, there is increasing evidence of maritime crime in the Indian Ocean, of late. Though substantially abated, yet piracy in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden coupled with maritime terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling are the signs of some serious disturbances to peace and stability in the Ocean, demanding a credible maritime response. The vastness of the Ocean makes it virtually impossible for a single littoral nation to remain successful against these challenges. The changing threat mosaic necessitates a relook at the models of fighting, the threats and the prevailing situation in a diminished maritime security milieu. A paradigm shift from ‘confrontational’ to ‘cooperative’ approach is essential; whereby regional littorals may come together to operate their maritime forces for better preservation of their maritime interests whilst not allowing the extra-regional actors to interfere with the regional settings. This new method may be termed as ‘region-centric multilateral approach’. This would principally mean solving specific difficulties through: using own resources and own operational ways. This approach predicates on the prime cardinal that the extra regional forces pursue an ‘interests-centric’ course, which might not answer the ‘region-specific’ threats and challenges; therefore, region-centric approach becomes the key problem solver in such situations. This study focuses on the major issues in contemporary maritime security, especially in the Indian Ocean, and figures out a way to deal with those. It begins with the description of the Indian Ocean with respect to its significance in global trade and geopolitics thereafter evaluating the oceanic order in terms of various threats of maritime security. After explaining the regional security situation, the study argues for a ‘region-centric’ maritime security model. The study posits that despite several inter-state rifts among the Indian Ocean littoral, the possibility of realizing a region-centric maritime security architecture can be envisaged, as this would be the only framework making region-specific security interests secure. The study suggests that region-specific problems can best be solved by the regional countries themselves as extra-regional nations serve their strategic interests only, and at times, relegating the regional problems to a degree of least significance; and that there always exists a space for cooperation even among the countries with enduring hostility.

Maritime Security Challenges for the Indian Ocean Region (original) (raw)

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