ABSTRACT
The chapter presents the evolution of India’s role in maritime security in IOR from a focus on the neighbourhood into an oceanic looking at the whole region. It analyses the maritime doctrines and strategies of the Indian Navy. The Maritime Security Doctrine was published for the first time in 2004, then revised in 2009, and updated (online) in 2015. The first Maritime Strategy published in the public domain in 2007 was titled “Freedom to use the Seas,” and then in 2015, titled “Ensuring secure seas.” The titles of the strategies show the evolution from passive to assertive and promise openness and active engagement in regional issues. The scope of primary maritime interests was enlarged, covering the space next to the Horn of Africa, followed by changes in the Naval command, establishing new commands in the Eastern part of the Indian Ocean. Two case studies show the implementation of India’s role in maritime security envisaged in strategic documents – first in multilateral cooperation to secure Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) and then in joint endeavours with institutional and individual partners to tackle piracy and terrorism.
