Colombo Security Conclave: Template for Security Cooperation in Indian Ocean

LINK: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-template-for-security-cooperation-in-the-indian-ocean/article70350316.ece

Why in the News

The 7th National Security Adviser (NSA)-level summit of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) was recently hosted by India, signalling encouraging signs that member-country engagement is deepening in this regional security grouping, which seeks to position itself as a critical forum to foster cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Background and Evolution of the CSC

The CSC is a regional platform focused on enhancing security cooperation among littoral states of the Indian Ocean.

Origin and Revival

• Initial Trilateral Grouping: The CSC was initially started as a trilateral grouping between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2011.
• Loss of Momentum: The group subsequently lost steam due to political transitions in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, coupled with a lack of convergence among member-states regarding security priorities.
• Reconvening and Expansion: Engagement was reconvened under the aegis of the CSC in 2020 with a proposed framework to further cooperation.
• Membership Growth: Since its revival, the group has steadily maintained momentum and inducted new members:
  • Mauritius joined as a full member in 2022.
  • Bangladesh was admitted as a full member in 2024.

Mandate of Cooperation

The proposed framework for the CSC is anchored in cooperation across non-traditional issues of maritime security, including:

• Maritime security
• Counter-terrorism
• Trafficking and organised crime
• Cybersecurity

Significance and Key Developments of the 7th Summit

The 2025 summit, hosted by India, was considered pivotal, occurring amidst a crucial shift in maritime cooperation frameworks in the broader Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Deepening Engagement and Expansion

• Hosting the Summit: India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, hosted his counterparts from Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Bangladesh.
  • Counterparts from Seychelles and Malaysia participated as an observer state and guest, respectively.
• Full Member Accession: The group saw further expansion by way of accession of Seychelles as a full member into the forum.
  • This signals a deep commitment among countries in the region to harness cooperation within the mandate of the CSC.
• Guest Participant Inclusion: The inclusion of Malaysia as a guest participant may pave the way for further expansion of the group.

Strategic Importance for India

• New Step in Engagement: The CSC marks a new step in further deepening engagement with its maritime neighbours for India.
• Regional Shift: This deepening engagement is crucial amidst an increasingly volatile geopolitical and security shift underway in the region, largely attributed to China’s growing presence and influence.
• Security Vitality: The summit underscores the growing vitality of the security dimension in enhancing cooperation to boost regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean.

Intertwining of Security and Development

For the wider Indian Ocean littoral world, especially the CSC members, maritime security challenges are often deeply coupled with their developmental priorities.

• Economic Dependency: Given the extent of dependency these countries have on the oceans for their economic progress, securing challenges emanating from the maritime domain is crucial.
• Livelihoods and Opportunities: Maritime security challenges are deeply intertwined with the lives and livelihoods of littoral communities and appear to unlock new opportunities for national economies in the era of sea-borne globalisation.

Looming Challenges for the Conclave

As the CSC envisages its expansion and broadening the contours of its agenda, certain key challenges must be addressed for its long-term resilience.

China Factor: Divergent Perceptions

• India’s Priority: For India, a key maritime security priority is anchored in the nature and extent of the Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.
• Member Countries’ View: Other member countries of the CSC, however, do not appear to view the Chinese presence as a major security challenge, given their dependence on Beijing as a key developmental partner.
• Required Balance: A careful balance needs to be achieved by India to address the question of growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean without alienating other members.

Institutional Deficit and Domestic Uncertainties

• Institutional Framework: The CSC must direct efforts to strengthen an institutional framework, as the group presently operates at a National Security Adviser-level structure.
  • Institutionalising cooperation is needed such that policy alignment with actionable pathways of cooperation remains consistent.
• Domestic Uncertainties: Domestic uncertainties in countries such as Bangladesh, and the ensuing impact on how Dhaka continues to engage with India and other member-countries, may run the risk of uncertainty over the group’s resilience.

Way Forward: Fostering Resilience and Cohesion

The CSC has made significant advances in heralding a new framework of cooperation in a region that suffers from a deep lack of cohesion and convergence among countries on issues of security.

• Institutional framework within CSC must be strengthened to ensure consistent policy alignment, transition from NSA-level dialogues to operational mechanisms, and establishment of clear, actionable pathways for cooperation.
• Trust-building measures and development-sensitive security initiatives must be prioritised so that member states dependent on external developmental partners are reassured while security objectives are advanced.
• Operationalisation of cooperation in maritime domain must be pursued through joint exercises, information sharing mechanisms, capacity building for littoral states, and mutual assistance protocols targeting non-traditional threats such as trafficking and organised crime.
• Strategic diplomacy must be exercised by India to reconcile divergent perceptions of external presence, through calibrated engagement that emphasises complementarities between security and development and avoids coercive posturing that could alienate partners.
• Resilience-building measures must be adopted to mitigate risks posed by domestic political fluctuations within member states, including institutionalising dialogues at multiple levels and establishing continuity mechanisms for ongoing cooperation.

Conclusion

• The Colombo Security Conclave has successfully demonstrated its potential as a security template for cooperation in the Indian Ocean by sustaining momentum and achieving steady expansion.
• The recent summit reinforced the collective commitment to tackling non-traditional security challenges that intertwine with the developmental priorities of the littoral states.
• However, the future success of the CSC depends critically on its ability to strengthen its institutional framework, overcome the challenge of divergent perceptions regarding extra-regional influences like China, and secure its resilience against domestic political uncertainties within member states.

REGIONAL MARITIME SECURITY

Regional maritime security represents cornerstone of contemporary international security architecture, encompassing collective maritime domain awareness (MDA), joint operational frameworks, capacity-building initiatives, and institutional cooperation mechanisms designed to safeguard vital sea lines of communication (SLOCs), protect exclusive economic zones (EEZs), combat transnational maritime threats, and ensure freedom of navigation across shared maritime spaces.

In Indian Ocean Region (IOR)—world’s third-largest ocean spanning 70 million sq km, hosting 38% of global population, controlling 33% of world’s coastline, and 20% of global EEZ—maritime security assumes existential significance given region’s role as central maritime highway connecting Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Quantitative Strategic Metrics underscoring IOR’s centrality:

• 80% of global sea-borne trade ($14 trillion annually) transits IOR​.
• 90% of global oil trade passes through IOR chokepoints (Strait of Hormuz; Bab-el-Mandeb; Malacca Strait)​.
• India’s 95% trade volume and 80% energy imports sea-borne​.
• Blue economy potential: $2.5 trillion by 2030 across fisheries, offshore energy, seabed minerals.

Concept of Regional Maritime Security

• Regional maritime security refers to the collective capacity of coastal and island nations within a geographically linked maritime region to safeguard maritime interests, ensure stability, and respond to any threats—traditional or non-traditional—through cooperative mechanisms, shared protocols, and mutual engagement.
• It encompasses a wide range of activities that extend from naval deterrence and maritime law enforcement to environmental protection and humanitarian assistance.

Core Dimensions

• Security of Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs)
• Protection of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs)
• Maritime law enforcement and surveillance
• Fisheries protection and anti-poaching operations
• Combatting piracy and maritime terrorism
• Regulation of naval deployments and deterrence exchange
• Environmental protection and disaster response
• Maritime domain awareness (MDA) enhancement

Evolution of Regional Maritime Security

Period	Key Features	Developments
Pre-1982	Maritime security equated with naval supremacy, gunboat diplomacy, and force projection. Focused on territorial sovereignty, sea control, and conventional deterrence.	State-centric defence dominated; limited attention to non-traditional threats like piracy, terrorism, or environmental issues. Cold War rivalries shaped naval strategies.
1982–2000	UNCLOS (1994) provided legal framework for territorial seas, EEZs, and maritime rights. Non-traditional threats like piracy, armed robbery, and smuggling rose, especially in Southeast Asia and Horn of Africa.	Emergence of multilateral cooperation, e.g., ReCAAP, promoting surveillance, information sharing, and legal mechanisms to regulate maritime activity.
2000–2010	Focus on maritime terrorism post 9/11. Peak of Somali piracy (2008–2011, 200+ incidents/year).	Global naval cooperation strengthened via EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Emphasis on intelligence-led operations, early-warning systems, and multilateral collaboration.
2010–2020	China’s assertiveness in South China Sea, India’s SAGAR vision (2015), Quad revival (2017).	Marked competitive maritime geopolitics, enhanced cooperative security initiatives, and focus on freedom of navigation, joint naval exercises, and rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific.
2020–2025	AUKUS formation (2021), Houthi attacks in Red Sea, escalating Taiwan Strait tensions.	Maritime security central to great-power competition and protection of critical trade routes. Increased focus on technology, MDA, cyber security, and climate-resilient maritime infrastructure.

Constitutional, Legal, and Institutional Frameworks

International Legal Architecture
UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982):
Basis of Jurisdiction: Defines the five maritime zones and the sovereign rights/jurisdictions within each (e.g., 12 nautical miles (NM) Territorial Sea, 24 NM Contiguous Zone, 200 NM Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)).
Freedom of Navigation: Establishes the right of “innocent passage” through territorial seas and the “freedom of navigation” in the EEZ and High Seas.
This global framework provides dispute-resolution mechanisms through ITLOS and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions:
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS): Sets minimum safety standards for construction, equipment, and operation of merchant ships.
Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Conventions (1988 & 2005): Specifically targets acts of maritime terrorism and violence against ships and fixed offshore platforms.
MARPOL mandates environmental safeguards against marine pollution.

Indian Constitutional and Legal Framework

• Under the Union List of the Indian Constitution, matters relating to defence, naval operations, and foreign affairs fall exclusively under the central government.
• Article 297 clearly vests the ownership of maritime resources in the Union of India, enabling uniform national regulation of maritime zones.
• Key legislations include the Indian Coast Guard Act (1978), the Maritime Zones Act (1976), and the Merchant Shipping Act (1958), which collectively govern maritime security, resource rights, and commercial regulation.
• Institutional mechanisms such as the National Maritime Security Coordinator (2021) and the National Security Council Secretariat enable robust inter-agency coordination.
• Coastal Security Scheme (CSS): Though a scheme, it dictates the equipping and training of marine police, bridging the gap between coastal defense (Navy/Coast Guard) and terrestrial law enforcement (State Police).

Present Status and Threat Landscape

The maritime domain currently faces a dual challenge of resurging traditional competition amidst persistent non-traditional threats.

Global Maritime Hotspots

• Gulf of Guinea: Remains the world’s piracy epicentre with 45 incidents reported in 2024 (IMB Piracy Reporting Centre).
• Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb: Over 100 drone and missile attacks by Houthi forces on merchant shipping since November 2023.
• South China Sea: Continued use of water cannons and ramming tactics by Chinese vessels against Philippine resupply missions.
• Strait of Hormuz: Periodic harassment of tankers by Iran’s IRGC Navy.
• Arctic: Increasing Russian-Chinese dual-use research and submarine activity beneath the ice.

Traditional Threats:

• Great Power Rivalry: Intensifying competition in the Indo-Pacific, leading to increased naval presence and competition for influence among littoral and extra-regional powers.
• Territorial Disputes: Unresolved maritime boundary disputes and conflicting claims over islands and resources (e.g., South China Sea) that threaten escalation.
• Indian Ocean Region: Somali piracy has been virtually eliminated (zero successful hijackings since 2018).

Non-Traditional Threats:

• IUU Fishing: A significant threat to environmental and food security. Reports by the IFC-IOR indicate a major surge in IUU incidents, depleting fish stocks and severely impacting coastal communities.
• Transnational Crime: The IOR remains a major transit route for Drug and Arms Trafficking (e.g., the ‘Golden Crescent’ drug route) and Human Trafficking/Irregular Migration.
• Maritime Terrorism: The 2008 Mumbai attacks underscored the vulnerability of ports and coastlines to sea-borne terror, necessitating constant high alert and coastal security reforms.
• Climate Change: Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and increasing intensity of tropical storms pose direct threats to coastal infrastructure and maritime stability.

Significance of Regional Maritime Security

The maintenance of Good Order at Sea through Regional Maritime Security (RMS) is not merely a military concern but a multi-faceted imperative for global trade, energy security, and environmental protection. Its significance rests on three core pillars:

A. Economic and Trade Security

1. Protection of Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs):
   • Global Commerce Dependency: Over 80% of global trade by volume and over 70% by value is transported via maritime routes. Secure SLOCs are the arteries of the global economy.
   • Chokepoint Vulnerability: RMS is critical for securing vital maritime chokepoints—narrow passages (like the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el Mandeb, and the Malacca Strait) whose blockage, whether due to conflict or non-state threats, could cause a catastrophic global economic shock and energy crisis.
   • Cost of Insecurity: Threats like piracy or war-risk insurance premiums directly increase shipping costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers globally.
2. Sustaining the Blue Economy:
   • RMS directly protects the Blue Economy, which encompasses all economic activity dependent on the sea (fisheries, tourism, shipping, offshore oil/gas extraction).
   • Safeguarding Resources: Effective monitoring and enforcement protect Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) from Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, preserving vital fish stocks and ensuring food security for coastal communities.

B. Geopolitical and Strategic Stability

1. Upholding the Rules-Based Order:
   • RMS mechanisms, built on international law (UNCLOS), reinforce the principles of Freedom of Navigation (FON) and overflight, ensuring the seas remain open for all legitimate users, which is essential for global stability.
   • Deterrence of Conflict: A credible and cooperative regional security presence can deter aggressive or unilateral actions, especially those employing Grey Zone Warfare tactics (e.g., maritime militias or harassment below the threshold of conflict).
2. Projection and Trust Building:
   • Initiatives like India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) allow littoral states to demonstrate responsibility and capability, building diplomatic influence and strategic partnerships through security assistance.
   • Countering Extra-Regional Influence: Regional security architectures provide a collective platform for managing security affairs, balancing the influence of extra-regional powers, and ensuring solutions are regionally owned and led.

C. Human and Environmental Security

1. Countering Transnational Crime:
   • RMS forces (Coast Guards, Navies) are the front line against high-impact crimes such as drug, arms, and human trafficking and maritime terrorism. These transnational networks threaten the sovereignty and internal security of coastal states.
2. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR):
   • A robust RMS architecture provides the organizational structures, assets, and established protocols necessary for rapid, coordinated response to maritime disasters, including Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, cyclones, and tsunamis.
   • Protecting Seafarers: The primary goal remains the safety of seafarers—the most vulnerable link in the global supply chain—from acts of violence and criminal exploitation.

Key Challenges to Regional Maritime Security

Regional Maritime Security faces a complex matrix of persistent and emerging threats, requiring coordinated and adaptable countermeasures.

Challenge Type	Challenge	Impact	Context
Non-Traditional (Soft) Security Threats	IUU Fishing	Causes ecological and economic damage by depleting marine biodiversity, undermining legal fisheries, and depriving littoral states of billions in revenue. Often linked to illegal resource exploitation.	IFC-IOR reports show a year-on-year increase in monitored IUU incidents, highlighting a critical enforcement gap.
	Maritime Terrorism	Low-cost, high-impact threats exploiting gaps in coastal surveillance to attack ports, offshore platforms, and naval assets.	The 2008 Mumbai attacks exemplify the catastrophic potential of sea-borne terror cells.
	Transnational Trafficking	Maritime routes serve as primary conduits for drugs, arms, and human trafficking, funding criminal networks that destabilize governance. Often overlaps with IUU fishing and piracy.	Criminal networks are interlinked and transnational, complicating enforcement and interdiction.
Traditional (Hard) Security & Geopolitical Challenges	Intensifying Great Power Competition	Strategic rivalry in the Indo-Pacific between the U.S., allies, and China leads to increased naval deployments, competition over infrastructure, and higher miscalculation risks.	Rapid expansion of naval fleets, advanced surveillance, and strike capabilities is fuelling regional tensions and potential arms races.
	Grey Zone Operations & Asymmetric Tactics	Use of maritime militias, unmarked fishing vessels, and ambiguous maneuvers to assert territorial claims below the threshold of conventional conflict.	Challenging to counter using traditional rules of engagement; exploits legal and policy ambiguities under international maritime law.
	Governance & Jurisdictional Hurdles	Domestic overlaps (Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police) and regional underlaps leave parts of the High Seas largely unpoliced. Many regional cooperation mechanisms are soft-law and non-binding, limiting enforcement, arrests, and prosecutions.	Institutional capacity gaps and lack of definitive legal frameworks reduce operational effectiveness in multi-state maritime areas.

GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES

Several initiatives offer valuable lessons:

• ReCAAP (2006) – Asia’s pioneering information-sharing centre based in Singapore.
• Djibouti Code of Conduct (2009, Jeddah Amendment 2017) – Established national focal points and training centres across the western Indian Ocean.
• Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) – A 42-nation coalition headquartered in Bahrain that successfully suppressed Somali piracy.
• EU CRIMARIO – Provides free maritime domain awareness training and software to Indo-Pacific partners.
• Japan’s Capacity-Building Programmes – Delivered patrol vessels, radars, and training to Southeast Asian nations.

INDIAN BEST PRACTICES AND INITIATIVES

India has developed a comprehensive ecosystem for regional maritime security:

• Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), established in 2018, is linked to 27 countries and 9 multinational centres.
• National Maritime Domain Awareness Project (2024) integrates space, air, surface, and underwater sensors.
• Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) remains India’s flagship maritime diplomacy framework.
• Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), chaired by India from 2021–2025, has emerged as the region’s premier naval forum.
• Biennial Milan Exercise in 2024 saw participation from over 50 navies—the largest gathering of its kind.
• Continuous mission-based deployments of 12–15 warships across the Indian Ocean since 2017.
• White Shipping Agreements concluded with 23 countries for real-time merchant vessel tracking.

Way Forward: A Strategy for Enhanced Regional Stability

Moving forward requires a structured, multi-pronged approach that integrates technology, policy, and capacity development to achieve a resilient security architecture.

Information, Technology, and Domain Awareness

1. Strengthening Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA):
   • Real-time Fusion: The focus must shift from merely gathering data to fusing it in real time from diverse sources (AIS, radar, satellite imagery, coastal surveillance) to create a comprehensive operational picture.
   • Enhancing the IFC-IOR Network: Mandatory participation and standardized data protocols among all partner nations are critical to improve interoperability and data sharing efficiency. The aim is to create a truly seamless and distributed regional network.
2. Leveraging New Technologies:
   • Unmanned Systems (Drones/UAVs): Deploying specialized maritime Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) can provide persistent, cost-effective surveillance over vast maritime areas, compensating for patrol vessel deficits in smaller nations.
   • AI and Big Data Analytics: Use Artificial Intelligence to analyze vast streams of maritime traffic data and behavioral patterns to predict and flag suspicious vessels (Predictive Policing), dramatically improving resource efficiency.

Legal and Policy Frameworks

1. Codifying Regional Cooperation:
   • Formalizing Doctrines: States must translate non-binding strategic visions (like SAGAR) into formal policy documents with defined financial and operational commitments, moving from rhetorical goals to actionable strategy.
   • Legal Harmonization for Prosecution: Establish regional extradition and legal assistance treaties to ensure that transnational criminals (pirates, traffickers) apprehended at sea can be effectively prosecuted, regardless of where the incident occurred.
2. Focusing on the Blue Economy-Security Nexus:
   • Develop regional frameworks for sustainable resource management and marine spatial planning. By improving the regulatory environment for legal fishing and commerce, the incentive for illicit activities is naturally reduced.
   • Climate Security Integration: Incorporate climate resilience and environmental protection as explicit mandates within RMS strategy, addressing threats like oil spills and sea-level rise through joint risk assessment.

Capacity Building and Collaborative Action

1. Targeted Capacity Enhancement:
   • Bilateral Assistance: Focus capacity building efforts (training, equipment grants) on the specific needs of littoral states, emphasizing Coast Guard capabilities and marine police forces, as they are the primary responders to non-traditional threats.
   • Joint Exercises: Increase the frequency and complexity of multi-lateral and trilateral exercises (e.g., SITMEX, EKUVERIN) to ensure interoperability and shared Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for HADR and counter-piracy operations.
2. Promoting Inclusivity and Dialogue:
   • Ensure that all stakeholders—governments, industry (shipping, insurance), and the scientific community—are integrated into the RMS dialogue.
   • Foster Track 1.5 and Track 2 Diplomacy to build mutual confidence and establish working relationships among military and civilian agencies, particularly between rival powers, to manage incidents and reduce the risk of escalation.

CONCLUSION

• Regional maritime security in the 21st century is the foundation of India’s economic rise, energy independence, food security, digital connectivity, and strategic autonomy. The Indian Ocean and wider Indo-Pacific will shape the global balance of power for the rest of this century.
• India possesses the geographic centrality, growing naval capability, diplomatic goodwill, and civilisational maritime heritage to lead the creation of a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based maritime order.
• The choice is stark: either India invests decisively today in maritime power, partnerships, and technology, or it risks becoming a peripheral player in a domain that determines its own destiny.

UPSC MAINS PYQs

1. What are the maritime security challenges in India? Discuss the organisational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve maritime security. (2022)