There are five fundamental deficiencies in India’s maritime security mechanism that will need to be addressed by the newly appointed National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC), to prevent a recurrence of a 26/11 scenario.
Ensuring maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific region is key security imperative and one of the key objectives of India’s engagement with the US and other partners.
India’s Arctic Policy can be seen as the first step towards developing a whole-of-government approach on India’s engagement with the region. The policy seems to be inclusive and participative wherein India offers its readiness to “play its part and contribute to the global good”.
Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Capt (IN) Anurag Bisen’s Issue Brief ‘India–Russia Cooperation in Indian Ocean Region, Arctic and Russian Far East’ published in the MP-IDSA website was cited by the Economic Times in the article ‘India, Russia could create regional security architecture for Indian Ocean Region stability’ published on 22 December 2021.
India–Russia cooperation in the Indian Ocean and the Arctic, including the Russian Far East, could give strong thrust to their deepening engagement. However, there is a need for heavy lifting from both sides to achieve the desired potential.