Maritime security challenges in India include piracy, smuggling, and territorial disputes. Initiatives like the Indian Coast Guard and maritime surveillance systems address these concerns. Enhanced collaboration with international partners, updated technology, and strategic policies further strengthen India’s efforts in safeguarding its maritime interests and ensuring regional security.
UPSC Mains General Studies Paper – 3 Mains 2022
UPSC Mains Civil Services IAS Exam Question Paper – 2022
Approach
- Introducing emphasising with the key words maritime security in India.
- Mention the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve the maritime security with developmental progress
- Accordingly conclude it.
Introduction
Maritime security is a general term for the protection of vessels both internally and externally. The areas from which ships and maritime operations need protecting include terrorism, piracy, robbery, illegal trafficking of goods and people, illegal fishing and pollution
Body
The Maritime Security Challenges in India
India has more than 7000 km long maritime border shared with seven nations. Instruments of maritime security protects the territorial sovereignty of nation from possible marine threats.
- Control of Choke Points: India, which is equally remote from most of these choke points, may contribute significantly to the security of this vast maritime zone. These are necessary for the defence of Indian maritime interests.
- The Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, for instance, highlighted the dangers to Indian energy imports through the Straits of Hormuz.
- Both old and novel threats can affect SLOCs, and SLOCs in the IOR have historically been susceptible to disruption.
- Regional Uncertainty: The IOR’s maritime security is made more challenging by unpredictability in Somalia, Yemen, Iran, and other nations.
- Trafficking: Regrettably, the world’s most notorious centres of drug production are located in the Indian Ocean region. Examples include the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent. The IOR is also infamous for other destabilizing activities like gunrunning and human trafficking.
- Maritime Terrorism: Therefore, it is quite possible for rival interests to take advantage of this extensive maritime activity to launch attacks on land, as was seen in the Mumbai terror attacks of 26/11.
- Extra Regional Military Presence: For India’s maritime security, the growing Chinese Navy and its acquisition of a base in Djibouti, 24 access facilities in Malaysia, the “covert” base in Gwadar, and the recently announced maritime silk route are very concerning.
- Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing: IUU presents a threat to maritime security because it gives piracy a base of operations.
India’s Maritime Security Initiative
- Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), to improve relations with its maritime neighbours on the economic and security fronts.
- Project Mausam, to re-establish connections and communication channels between nations surrounding the Indian Ocean
- Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), to foster closer maritime ties between the navies of the Indian Ocean region’s coastal states.
- Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)– India can address maritime concerns thanks to close collaboration with IORA nations.
- Sagarmala Initiative– With the Sagarmala project, India’s coastline will be surrounded by several ports.
Way Forward
- Regional Maritime Security Framework: To address the issues, an all-encompassing security framework for the IOR must be created.
- Developing close ties with nations facing a crisis: For the unhindered and unrestricted movement of Indian trade and shipping to support ongoing economic development. Think of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.
- Increase maritime exchanges between littoral states. For instance, military drills, cultural encounters, etc.
- Information Exchange: To intercept and prosecute vessels and individuals involved in illegal activity, mechanisms and protocols for the exchange of tactically crucial information and intelligence must be put in place.
- Common Operational Grid: A common operational grid between the littoral nations is necessary for the effective management of the maritime domain, particularly within a complicated region like the IOR.
Conclusion
India must make improvements to its coordinated patrols with all of the littoral states. It would be necessary for ASEAN to work through SAARC, BIMSTEC, and ASEAN to fill in the gaps and establish a framework for shared maritime security.
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