CDS Chauhan: India Key Partner in Indian Ocean Region
He asserted that India remains the “first responder and preferred partner of choice” for other nations in the region
Chandigarh: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Sunday said that the global struggle for power, once confined to land and skies, has now expanded to space, cyberspace, and the cognitive domain.
Speaking at the 9th Military Literature Festival 2025 in Chandigarh, themed ‘Heartland and Rimland Powers in a Multi-Domain Warfare and India’, Gen. Chauhan emphasised that India, as both a continental and maritime power, enjoys a predominant position in the Indian Ocean region.
He asserted that India remains the “first responder and preferred partner of choice” for other nations in the region.
Citing British author Tim Marshall’s Prisoners of Geography, the CDS said a nation’s location and geographic features determine its ability to project power and shape strategic options, irrespective of its size.
“If you look at the geopolitical events of the 20th century — India’s partition, the creation of Pakistan, and our war with China — they forced India to adopt a continental outlook. But India’s geography shows that it is both a continental and maritime power,” he noted.
General Chauhan also highlighted how the competition for global dominance has always been tied to geography. “The struggle for global power has long been about control of geography — from the seas and continents to the skies. Today, it extends to space, cyberspace, and the cognitive domain,” he said.
He cited the examples of Djibouti and Singapore to underline how geography enhances strategic importance. “Djibouti, located at Bab el-Mandeb, and Singapore, near the Strait of Malacca, are both small nations with immense significance for global trade,” he observed.
The CDS further mentioned that Indonesia’s straits — including Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, and Ombai-Wetar — serve as vital maritime links connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
