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National Security Concerns and India’s Expanding Naval Presence in the Indian Ocean

Received: 4 May 2021     Accepted: 29 June 2021     Published: 18 August 2021
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Abstract

National security ensures the existence of the state through economic power, political power, diplomacy and military power. In the contemporary times military might and defense preparedness is just one aspect of national security and it surround a wide range of non-military variables such as economic security, energy security, environmental security etc. In this context each country has to devise means and methods to protect itself from internal and external threats. Military or defense preparedness however remain a foremost manifestation of national security. All the super powers, major or regional powers maintain security forces which protect country’s national interest and create deterrents to secure themselves. India is a large country of sub-continental dimensions and a major power of South Asia. Its borders touch Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. It has a long maritime boundary, territorial waters and resource rich continental shelf. Its presence into the Indian Ocean is bolstered by hundreds of islands such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands. India has a security environment around its borders and in the adjoining ocean which is full of challenges. The Indian Ocean, on which depends its maritime trade, its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from which it extracts bulk of its oil needs need to be protected. India faces the challenge of rising terrorism, Somalia born sea piracy, security of sea lanes of communications (SLOCS), protection of its valuable and coveted assets at sea and a plethora of other national security concerns. These challenges motivated India to build and develop a strong navy and show its naval presence throughout the length and breadth of the Indian Ocean. Over the years, India has expanded its naval outreach to become a leading naval power of the region. It has also made strategic use of its nave and used it as a diplomatic tool to build relationships with other major powers within and outside the region. After a strong and formidable build up, Indian Navy has emerged to become the fifth largest in the world. It is a potent force known for its professional competence. In this light the paper throws light on the expanding might of Indian Navy to protect Country’s national security. The paper is an attempt to understand and analyze the national security threats and contribution of its navy to stamp these threats and help India in its power projection in the Indian Ocean region.

Published in Journal of Political Science and International Relations (Volume 4, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11
Page(s) 72-77
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Polarization, Insurgency, Exclusive Economic Zone, Exploration, Hinterland, Hydrothermal, Bilateral-exercise, Indo-Pacific

References
[1] Definition of "national security" from the Macmillan Dictionary Macmillan Publishers Limited; Romm, Joseph J. (1993): Defining National Security: the non-military aspects, Foreign Affairs, summer 1993. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-87609-135-7.
[2] There are currently 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, along with 6,346 U.S. contractors. U.S. force levels peaked at 100,000 in 2011. Under a withdrawal agreement signed by the Trump Administration and the Taliban in February 2020, there should be no U.S. troops left in Afghanistan by May 1. The New York Times, February 29, 2020.
[3] Patil, Sameer, “India’s top security risks in 2014”, Gateway House, Indian Council of Global Relations, 16 January 2014; Garner, Godfrey, “Afghanistan: Prospects post U.S. Withdrawal”, American Diplomacy, March 2013.
[4] Datta, Sreeradha, “Security of India’s Northeast: External Linkages”, Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, available at, http://www.idsa-india.org/an-nov-00-8.html DSA; Routray, Bibhu Prasad, “India-Myanmar Relations: Triumph of Pragmatism”, Jindal Journal of International Affairs, Volume 1, Issue 1, October 2011, pp. 299-321.
[5] See, “Survey of the EEZ”, Government of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), available at, http://www.ncaor.gov.in/pages/researchview/7, retrieved on 26.8.2014.
[6] Khalid, Mohammed, “Somalia and its Lawless Coast: India’s Growing Security Responsibility in the Indian Ocean”, Journal of Indian Ocean Studies, Vol. 18, No. 1, April, 2010, pp. 67-80.
[7] Biswas, Aparajita, “Small Arms and Drug Trafficking in the Indian Ocean Region”, Working Paper: No. 4, Centre for African Studies, University of Mumbai.
[8] “China builds up strategic sea lanes”, The Washington Times - Monday, January 17, 2005; Pehrson, Christopher J, “String of Pearls: meeting the challenge of China’s rising power across the Asian littoral”, Strategic Studies Institute, July 2006; Shrivastava, Sanskar, “Indian String of Pearls "Unstringing" Chinese String of Pearls Theory”, World Reporter, June 2013, See, http://www.theworldreporter.com/2013/06/unstringing-chinese-string-of-pearls.html.
[9] “China speeds up Indian Ocean exploration for minerals”, The Economic Times, Feb 26, 2014.
[10] “INDIAN NAVY – Modernisation”, Defence and Security of India, December 1, 2012; Admiral Joshi, D K, “Indian Navy Building Capabilities to Meet All Threats”, Defence Now, available at, http://www.defencenow.com/news/1028; “India's Naval Massive Modernization Program”, Defence News, June 03, 2012.
[11] Details available at Indian Coast Guard official website at https://www.indiancoastguard.gov.in/.
[12] For details of India’s naval Commands, see, “Naval Commands”, Bharat Rakshak, August 10, 2004; Mahapatra, A B, “Commanding the Ocean”, The Public Affair Magazine, Feb. 11, 2002.
[13] Malik, Ashok, “Our string of island theory”, Hindustan Times, Chandigarh, September 2, 2014, p. 10.
[14] For the defence sector see, “A brief report on defence sector in India”, October 2013, available at, http://www.cci.in/pdfs/surveys-reports/Defence-Sector-in-India.pdf.
[15] For an inventory of Indian Navy’s strategic assets see, “List of Active Indian Navy ships”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_active_Indian_Navy_ships.
[16] “India gets its first '90% indigenous' warship”, Business Standard, August 27, 2014; also see, “India launches first home-built anti-submarine ship to counter China”, South China Morning Post, August 27, 2014.
[17] For exercise with foreign navies, see, http://indiannavy.nic.in/operations/exercise-foreign-navies.
[18] “India ready for naval exercises with GCC countries”, The Hindu December 23, 2007; “Naval flotilla to hold exercises with Persian Gulf states”, The Hindu, July 31, 2007; “Indo-German naval exercises to begin today”, The Hindu, April 8, 2008; Indian naval ships coming on courtesy tour. Gulf Times. 24 July 2007.
[19] “India, 16 Others Take Part in 'Milan 2014' Naval Exercise”, The New Indian Express, February 09, 2014; Patil, Y Sameer and David Brewster, “Indian Navy: Shaping regional diplomacy”, Gateway House, Indian Council of Global Relations, February 21, 2014.
[20] “Warships on standby for Iraq evacuations, Air India alerted”, the Times of India, New Delhi, June 29, 2014; “More Indians evacuated from Iraq: Total number rescued now stands at 34; MEA issues fresh travel advisory”, Business Standard, New Delhi, June 25, 2014.
[21] “Indian Navy to evacuate Indian citizens from Iran”, The Economic Times, June 8, 2020.
[22] A Ankit Panda, “India, US Sign Logistics Exchange Agreement: What You Need to Know,” The Diplomat, last modified August 30, 2016, https://thediplomat.com/2016/08/india-us-sign-lo-gistics-exchange-agreement-what-you-need-to-know/: Press Trust of India, “India, France Sign Strategic Pact on Use of Each Other's Military Bases,” Times of India, last modified March 10, 2018, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-france-sign-strategic-pact-on-use-of-each-others-military-bases/articleshow/63248889.cms.
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    Mohammed Khalid. (2021). National Security Concerns and India’s Expanding Naval Presence in the Indian Ocean. Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 4(3), 72-77. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11

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    Mohammed Khalid. National Security Concerns and India’s Expanding Naval Presence in the Indian Ocean. J. Polit. Sci. Int. Relat. 2021, 4(3), 72-77. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11

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    AMA Style

    Mohammed Khalid. National Security Concerns and India’s Expanding Naval Presence in the Indian Ocean. J Polit Sci Int Relat. 2021;4(3):72-77. doi: 10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11,
      author = {Mohammed Khalid},
      title = {National Security Concerns and India’s Expanding Naval Presence in the Indian Ocean},
      journal = {Journal of Political Science and International Relations},
      volume = {4},
      number = {3},
      pages = {72-77},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jpsir.20210403.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jpsir.20210403.11},
      abstract = {National security ensures the existence of the state through economic power, political power, diplomacy and military power. In the contemporary times military might and defense preparedness is just one aspect of national security and it surround a wide range of non-military variables such as economic security, energy security, environmental security etc. In this context each country has to devise means and methods to protect itself from internal and external threats. Military or defense preparedness however remain a foremost manifestation of national security. All the super powers, major or regional powers maintain security forces which protect country’s national interest and create deterrents to secure themselves. India is a large country of sub-continental dimensions and a major power of South Asia. Its borders touch Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Myanmar, and Pakistan. It has a long maritime boundary, territorial waters and resource rich continental shelf. Its presence into the Indian Ocean is bolstered by hundreds of islands such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands. India has a security environment around its borders and in the adjoining ocean which is full of challenges. The Indian Ocean, on which depends its maritime trade, its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from which it extracts bulk of its oil needs need to be protected. India faces the challenge of rising terrorism, Somalia born sea piracy, security of sea lanes of communications (SLOCS), protection of its valuable and coveted assets at sea and a plethora of other national security concerns. These challenges motivated India to build and develop a strong navy and show its naval presence throughout the length and breadth of the Indian Ocean. Over the years, India has expanded its naval outreach to become a leading naval power of the region. It has also made strategic use of its nave and used it as a diplomatic tool to build relationships with other major powers within and outside the region. After a strong and formidable build up, Indian Navy has emerged to become the fifth largest in the world. It is a potent force known for its professional competence. In this light the paper throws light on the expanding might of Indian Navy to protect Country’s national security. The paper is an attempt to understand and analyze the national security threats and contribution of its navy to stamp these threats and help India in its power projection in the Indian Ocean region.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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Author Information
  • Department of Evening Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

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