Question: Is India a net security provider in Indian Ocean?
Answer: Sir, India functions as a 'Net Security Provider' in the Indian Ocean region for the traditional and non-traditional maritime challenges not only because of its geographic advantage but also because of the might of Indian Navy which is the strongest force in the region.
The traditional challenges include unresolved sovereignty issues, territorial disputes, contradictory positions on international norms, maritime muscle flexing and general militarisation of the region. Whereas the non-traditional challenges are piracy and maritime terrorism.
The Indian Ocean needs constant protection because of voluminous maritime trade route, it has abundance of natural resources and it is the fastest growing economic region in the world. In addition, it houses many countries which are busy dousing internal conflict and have high population density. Any disruption of peace and stability in this region would adversely affect not only India's economic growth but also Indo-Pacific region.
India now has good security relations with some smaller states in the Indian Ocean, but India’s partnerships with the middle powers of the region need much more attention. These include with Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Australia. All these countries exercise considerable military power within their own sub-regions and have considerable political and economic influence throughout the Indian Ocean and beyond on the international stage. India will need to work with countries such as these if it is to extend its strategic influence throughout the region.
The effort of India has been towards a course of economic growth using a civilisational ethos of Realism, Co-existence, Cooperation and Partnership with countries in the region. In addition, India has spent a lot of money on modernising its defence forces. This includes buying aircraft carriers, submarines, and long-range aircraft (C-17 Globemaster and C-130J Hercules) that give it the ability to respond to security problems throughout much of the Indian Ocean region. Increasing the reach of Indian navy helps it to take several initiatives like anti-piracy operations, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and resource-sharing with other navies in the region.