India's Navy

Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
Acting East on the seas: India’s naval cooperation with ASEAN
In recent years, New Delhi has increasingly focused on expanding its strategic footprint in Southeast Asia. While key states have expressed impatience with India’s slow steps…
The Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier dilemma
The Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier dilemma
The late General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, took a dim view of aircraft carriers. He considered them expensive and unnecessary. In his telling, including…
India’s defence-diplomacy bet
India’s defence-diplomacy bet
The reported visit by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Australia, scheduled for late February, is indicative of the convergence of India’s diplomatic, commercial and…
Islands as stepping stones for India-Australia collaboration
Islands as stepping stones for India-Australia collaboration
As maritime neighbours, India and Australia form the bookends of the Indian Ocean region. At a time of “big power muscle movement”, as Australia’s Navy Fleet Commander Rear…
Of maritime security and a rules-based order
Of maritime security and a rules-based order
Maritime scholars and practitioners often wrestle with the question of what a “desirable” architecture for maritime security should be, and how must it be properly implemented?…
Indian Ocean step-up
Indian Ocean step-up
Like Australia in the Pacific, India has been pursuing its own Indian Ocean island step-up, largely driven by concerns about China’s growing influence in the region. This has…
The Crisis after the Crisis: How Ladakh will Shape India’s Competition with China
Analyses
The Crisis after the Crisis: How Ladakh will Shape India’s Competition with China
The border crisis in Ladakh may end in war or peace — or it may never end.
Aggressive sea control isn’t an option for India’s navy
Aggressive sea control isn’t an option for India’s navy
An interesting debate has emerged in the pages of The Interpreter involving maritime strategy. Arzan Tarapore wrote an article last month arguing that India should prioritise a…
Sea denial is not enough: An Australian and Indian perspective
Sea denial is not enough: An Australian and Indian perspective
In recent years – and for good reason - the strategic commentariat in both Australia and India has become increasingly concerned with the rise of China’s maritime power and the…
India should prioritise a denial strategy in the Indian Ocean
India should prioritise a denial strategy in the Indian Ocean
To break the border stand-off between India and China in the Himalayas, some Indian analysts have advocated going on the offensive against China in the Indian Ocean. But that…