The Role of Maritime Domain Awareness: A Case Study of IFC-IOR, India’s Template for Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region
© 2026 Anisa Reddy. All Rights Reserved.
The Role of Maritime Domain Awareness: A Case Study of IFC-IOR, India’s Template for Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region
Anisa Reddy
“A crucial facet of maritime security is enhanced maritime domain awareness.” Suchitra Durai, Former Ambassador of India to Thailand
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a vital global trade corridor. The Indian Ocean, deriving its name from India’a millennia-old civilizational influence, stands as a critical maritime artery handling 70% of global container traffic. The importance of Indian Ocean for India lies ahead of thousand years ago, where the ancient India held victorious impact in the water by regain power over the ocean, tributed to Chola’s successful naval combat with Sumatra’s Srivijaya Kingdom as an important landmark in India’s maritime diplomacy.
In the 21st century, as global power shifts towards the Indian Ocean Region, this body of water has become increasingly contested. The Indian Ocean per se has over 40 littoral states bearing over 40 per cent of the world’s population. Several countries are vying for influence in IOR, The United States, UK, France, China including India.
Today, the ocean spesifically carrying nearly 80% of India’s external trade and 90% of its energy imports.In the context of geopolitical and strategic influence, India seeks to counterbalance China’s increasing naval presence and port infrastructure projects within the region through SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in The Region) and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). Along with The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, India is reinforcing its regional and international leadership within the body of water.
Joseph and Dana in Maritime Domain Awareness: The Key to Maritime Security, published in International law Studies Journal mentioned “another part of the burden of maritime history and tradition is a culture of secrecy”. He also stated “…in an information age security lies not in secrecy, but in transparency”. He further emphasized that actors in maritime domain awareness should become more transparent, with visibility and shared understanding among members of the maritime community.
Trust and sharing information among nations in the Indian Ocean Region remain integral part to secure the region’s stability. Multi domain gaps between underwater, air, cyber, and littoral dimensions shall be addressed properly. In this context, India took leadership to initiate and bridge the gap of maritime security information through IORIS (the Indian Ocean Regional Information Sharing), a web-based maritime coordination and information sharing.
India also maintains continuous presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region through an association like IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium), an Indian initiative established in 2008 and which brings together 35 navies in the region. Five years later, India generated maritime cooperation with three countries, the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives Trilateral. India believes that it is only through collective, collaborative and cooperative approaches that peace can be advanced in the region.
In 2018, Indian Navy formed The state-of-the-art Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram. IFC-IOR plays a major breakthrough in India’s regional maritime security hub, enhancing collaborative maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region, preventing unidentified dark shipping and fostering coordinated and controlled port state white shipping.
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| © 2026 Anisa Reddy. All Rights Reserved. |
The Role of Maritime Domain Awareness: A Case Study of IFC-IOR, India’s Template for Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region
Anisa Reddy
“A crucial facet of maritime security is enhanced maritime domain awareness.” Suchitra Durai, Former Ambassador of India to Thailand
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a vital global trade corridor. The Indian Ocean, deriving its name from India’a millennia-old civilizational influence, stands as a critical maritime artery handling 70% of global container traffic. The importance of Indian Ocean for India lies ahead of thousand years ago, where the ancient India held victorious impact in the water by regain power over the ocean, tributed to Chola’s successful naval combat with Sumatra’s Srivijaya Kingdom as an important landmark in India’s maritime diplomacy.
In the 21st century, as global power shifts towards the Indian Ocean Region, this body of water has become increasingly contested. The Indian Ocean per se has over 40 littoral states bearing over 40 per cent of the world’s population. Several countries are vying for influence in IOR, The United States, UK, France, China including India.
Today, the ocean spesifically carrying nearly 80% of India’s external trade and 90% of its energy imports.
In the context of geopolitical and strategic influence, India seeks to counterbalance China’s increasing naval presence and port infrastructure projects within the region through SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in The Region) and MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions). Along with The Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, India is reinforcing its regional and international leadership within the body of water.
Joseph and Dana in Maritime Domain Awareness: The Key to Maritime Security, published in International law Studies Journal mentioned “another part of the burden of maritime history and tradition is a culture of secrecy”. He also stated “…in an information age security lies not in secrecy, but in transparency”. He further emphasized that actors in maritime domain awareness should become more transparent, with visibility and shared understanding among members of the maritime community.
Trust and sharing information among nations in the Indian Ocean Region remain integral part to secure the region’s stability. Multi domain gaps between underwater, air, cyber, and littoral dimensions shall be addressed properly. In this context, India took leadership to initiate and bridge the gap of maritime security information through IORIS (the Indian Ocean Regional Information Sharing), a web-based maritime coordination and information sharing.
India also maintains continuous presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region through an association like IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium), an Indian initiative established in 2008 and which brings together 35 navies in the region. Five years later, India generated maritime cooperation with three countries, the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives Trilateral. India believes that it is only through collective, collaborative and cooperative approaches that peace can be advanced in the region.
In 2018, Indian Navy formed The state-of-the-art Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram. IFC-IOR plays a major breakthrough in India’s regional maritime security hub, enhancing collaborative maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region, preventing unidentified dark shipping and fostering coordinated and controlled port state white shipping.