Indian Defense Forum 
- Jan 26, 2024
- 1,320
- 312
- Axis Group
How the Indian Navy is consolidating great power status while Pakistan, Bangladesh flounder in Indian ocean
1d • 4 min read
How the Indian Navy is consolidating great power status while Pakistan, Bangladesh flounder in Indian ocean
New Delhi: As the Indian Navy prepares to launch TROPEX 2025 next month, it is evident that India’s maritime strategy is geared towards cementing its status as a resident power and a rising great power in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
This ambitious, multi-dimensional exercise demonstrates India’s maritime dominance, strategic foresight, and commitment to a rules-based international order.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, entangled in domestic instability and economic crises, are engaging in what appear to be futile naval posturing efforts that highlight their strategic irrelevance rather than any meaningful influence in the region.
India: The Resident Power of the IOR
The Indian Navy, long regarded as the net security provider in the IOR, is on a path to reinforce its strategic clout.TROPEX 2025, a Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise, epitomizes India’s readiness to dominate maritime affairs in a complex geopolitical landscape. The exercise will involve advanced warships, submarines, aircraft, and cutting-edge systems, testing India’s maritime capabilities across surface, air, subsurface, and cyber domains.
This large-scale naval drill aligns with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy, prioritizing regional stability and cooperation. It also highlights India’s commitment to countering emerging threats in the Indo-Pacific, a region increasingly characterized by great power competition.
Through TROPEX and a series of bilateral and multilateral exercises, India is asserting its leadership, enhancing interoperability with strategic partners, and ensuring maritime security in critical chokepoints like the Malacca Strait.
India’s trajectory is supported by a robust domestic shipbuilding industry, exemplified by the recent historic triple commissioning of INS Nilgiri, INS Surat, and INS Vaghsheer. This self-reliance contrasts sharply with its neighbours, who depend on foreign powers for military hardware and strategic direction.
Pakistan: A Debt-Trapped Military Mirage
Comparatively, Pakistan’s naval ambitions are mired in economic and strategic constraints. Hosting the AMAN-25 maritime exercise in Karachi between February 7-11, Pakistan aims to project a façade of relevance in the IOR. The reality, however, paints a different picture.With its economy in free fall, Pakistan’s military is heavily reliant on China, both financially and technologically. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will dominate AMAN-25, using the exercise to advance Beijing’s strategic interests rather than Islamabad’s. Pakistan’s ageing naval fleet and inability to fund modernization projects hollow its maritime aspirations. The country’s over-reliance on foreign powers starkly contrasts with India’s indigenous capabilities and long-term vision.
AMAN-25, while marketed as a symbol of multilateral cooperation, serves as little more than a propaganda tool for Sino-Pak alignment.
For India, this collaboration emphasizes the growing threat of a China-Pakistan nexus in the IOR but also highlights the inherent weakness of Islamabad’s naval strategy.
Bangladesh: Political Instability Meets Strategic Irrelevance
While seeking to expand its maritime footprint, Bangladesh remains hamstrung by political instability and resource limitations. Recent efforts to collaborate with Pakistan in naval exercises signal a misaligned attempt at relevance in the IOR. However, Dhaka’s reliance on external players, including China, for defence procurement further diminishes its strategic autonomy.While Bangladesh has shown interest in maritime modernization, including acquiring submarines, these efforts lack coherence. Dhaka’s political volatility and strained governance further dilute its capacity to project influence in the region. Joint exercises with Pakistan, a state plagued by its crises, do little to enhance Bangladesh’s standing in the IOR and may risk alienating its largest neighbour, India.
The Indian Ocean: A Strategic Arena
The IOR remains the focal point of global maritime competition, with India at its epicentre. The Indian Navy’s growing engagement with Quad partners, its leadership in anti-piracy operations, and its role in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions solidify its reputation as a reliable and proactive maritime power.Through initiatives like the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), India’s maritime domain awareness (MDA) investments demonstrate its ability to monitor and respond to regional threats. By contrast, caught in cycles of economic dependency and political instability, Pakistan and Bangladesh lack the infrastructure and strategic foresight to meaningfully shape the region’s future.
TROPEX 2025: A Theatre-Level Exercise
TROPEX 2025 is more than just an operational readiness exercise; it is a statement of intent. By integrating advanced technology, strengthening alliances, and showcasing its strategic reach, India is signalling its readiness to take on greater responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific. The Indian Navy is not just defending its waters but also shaping the global narrative around maritime security and freedom of navigation.Pakistan and Bangladesh’s naval activities appear as afterthoughts, designed more for domestic consumption than strategic impact. Their dependence on external powers—whether China or others—underlines their inability to act as independent players in the IOR.
India’s rise as a maritime power is rooted in strategic foresight, indigenous capability development, and proactive diplomacy. TROPEX 2025 highlights India’s ambition to cement its status as a great power and a guardian of the Indo-Pacific.
Meanwhile, Pakistan and Bangladesh’s attempts at naval collaboration appear wasteful and directionless, further underlining their marginal role in the IOR. As India looks upward, its neighbours remain mired in crises of their own making, unable to match the trajectory of a resident power shaping the future of maritime security.
