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31 July 2024

India's Maritime Imperative | Opinion

Shivani Sharma

The results from India's massive, multi-month election are in, and the verdict is a somewhat-constricted mandate for sitting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite this electoral uncertainty, one thing remains indisputable—New Delhi's view of its primary security threat. Across the political spectrum, Indian voters have made clear that they see China as posing a growing challenge in political, economic, and strategic terms.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the maritime domain, where New Delhi and Beijing are locked in a contest for dominance—one with profound regional and global implications.

In recent months, the Indian Navy has distinguished itself through anti-piracy operations in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Gulf of Aden, taking the lead against regional threats like resurgent Somali piracy. This stepped-up activism isn't simply a reflection of India's strategic ambition. It also represents a crucial component of a larger geostrategic puzzle, because a stronger Indian Navy is directly aligned with U.S. national security interests, providing a bulwark against China's assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.


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