MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES FOR INDIA

V VENUGOPAL MENON outlines India's challenges in the maritime domain, threat dimensions, mechanisms of maritime security in place, India's regional response, Chinese engagement in the Indian Ocean and the inescapable need to maintain the balance of power in the Indian Ocean region

- V VENUGOPAL MENON

Maritime security is the Protection of Coastline, Offshore assets & Ports, Asymmetric threats, Coastal & Ocean trade, illegal fishing, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and transnational threats besides the military dimension. Technological advancements and globalisation have defined the broader scope of maritime security to encompass surveillance, collaboration, and regulatory frameworks. Maritime security is an important vertical of our national security as India has a coastline of over 7500 km and outlying islands.

India's challenges in the Maritime domain

India has a long coastline of over 7500 km, which makes it vulnerable to various threats such as terrorism, piracy, smuggling, illegal fishing, etc. Further, India needs to protect its outlying islands in the western and eastern seaboard and offshore assets such as oil and gas installations. The Indian economy largely relies on the sea as over 75% of its trade value and nearly 95% of its trade volume is carried by sea, which includes its crucial energy needs. Therefore, India needs to ensure security and freedom of navigation of the Sea lanes of communication.

The Indian Ocean region is also of strategic interest due to the presence of friendly countries as well as traditional adversaries. Another cause of concern is the increasing Chinese engagement with countries in the region. Some of the important threat dimensions are highlighted in the succeeding paragraphs.

Asymmetric Warfare

Asymmetric warfare is a type of irregular warfare where a weaker naval power uses unconventional strategies and tactics to challenge a stronger naval power. In today’s world, nation states also fund and deploy non-state actors viz. terror groups to support their military objectives. Funding is the basic tenet that keeps any such illegal movement active. Gun running, narcotics smuggling, and human trafficking are other sources of income for these groups.