With the ongoing conflict with china and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, the month of august provided some hint that India confronts significant challenges on its northern periphery. It limits India’s strategic space in Eurasia as its troubles on the north of periphery grow. The marine factor will likely become increasingly relevant in India’s foreign policy. Strategic analysts divide states, geopolitical policies and military capabilities into two groups: those who prioritize naval power and those who prioritize land power. Russia is a land power, whereas Britain and America are predominantly marine powers.
China is a land power. Now it is working to direct its energy toward the seas; since its independence, India has been forced to focus more on increasing its land power as the most serious security challenge, mainly because of china and Pakistan. For India. There is no alternative to choose between land and naval. Might its location force it to pursue both goals?
India has lengthy land borders and a similarly long coastline. With the growing geopolitical leverage of China and Pakistan, the latest developments in Afghanistan have revived the debate over the plot of land and naval power. Therefore it emphasizes the need to strengthen strategic attention more on Seawards; some critics have even argued that maritime power should be prioritized. August was a busy month for the Indian navy amid continued tensions in eastern Ladakh; India engaged in a flurry of naval activity in august, which has strategic implications. It will have geopolitical substantive consequences not only in the current china-India tension but also in the larger indo-pacific context, and these initiatives of conducting naval exercises with important strategic allies indicate that the maritime dimension is becoming increasingly important in India’s foreign policy towards the end of August. India hosted the national security advisers meeting of IBSA countries, that is, India, brazil and south Africa. This was also the first meeting between IBSA NSAS and underscored the growing role of maritime security.
In these three countries, foreign policy, all three countries face the same developmental challenges, and they agreed to step up the cooperation in the future. In marine security, India invited brazil and south Africa to participate in the 2022 Milan naval exercises. It was also planned to undertake the India, brazil, and south Africa maritime trilateral naval exercises as soon as possible. The month of august was a busy month for the Indian navy, as its multiple warships were engaged in naval exercises across the indo-pacific region. The selection of partners for maritime exercises reflects the strategic convergence and shared interests between the participating countries. Indian navy conducted exercises with the united Arab emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Vietnam, Britain, and the Philippines and with the quad partners, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, have stakes in the security and stability of the Persian Gulf.
Therefore, India’s naval exercises with these three golf players are crucial. It was the first time India had conducted exercises with the Saudi navy; these drills, along with operation Sankalp, began in 2019 to offer security to navy vessels in the Persian Gulf. These exercises position India as a significant player in the security dynamics of the gulf and Arabian sea maritime region, the quad countries and other western pacific strategic partners, such as Vietnam, have been increasingly prominent in India’s foreign policy in recent years. The Malabar naval exercise between the quad navies off the coast of Guam in the western pacific witnessed complex exercises encompassing anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine warfare drills and additional maneuvers and tactical activities. These exercises demonstrated a shared vision and resolve of the free and open indo-pacific in the context of china’s increasingly assertive behavior.
Strengthening bilateral ties among the quad countries also contributes to the broader quadrilateral strategic dynamics. As a result, the joint guidance for Australia, India, navy to navy relationship signed in august by the Indian and Australian navies is a positive move. The guidance emphasizes mutual understanding, cooperation for regional security, collaboration in mutually beneficial activities and interoperability. Development on august 9th prime minister Modi delivered an address to the united nations security council. The purpose of convening such a discussion was to promote India as a critical global participant in international maritime security.
