The 73rd SOAFAL Oration on “India’s Maritime Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific” delivered by Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (RETD), the Director-General, NMF

The Director-General of the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi, Vice-Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), was invited by the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan [Deemed to be University] (SOA) to deliver the 73rd SOAFAL Oration on India’s Maritime Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific on Friday, 24th February 2024.

The online event was hosted by Prof Nachieketa K Sharma (Director, University Outreach Programme, SOA), and the distinguished attendees included H.E. Dr Bassam Alkhatib (Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to India), Prof P K Nanda (Vice-Chancellor, SOA), as well as the faculty members and international students at the SOA, and researchers at the NMF.

At the outset of his address, Vice-Admiral Chauhan underlined the critical distinction between India’s geoeconomic and non-geoeconomic goals, and the geostrategies it adopts to attain them, which together form the basis of its geopolitics.  His presentation provided an overview of the desired end state of policy for India, its maritime policy of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), which gives first-order specificity to the SAGAR policy, India’s primary maritime interest of “holistic maritime security,” and its strategic geography of the Indo-Pacific.  It further delineated the principal maritime objectives and strategies of India in the Indo-Pacific, and the approaches it adopts towards their fulfillment, namely those of multilateral constructs, the IPOI, minilaterals, the QUAD, and the proactive approach of maritime connectivity.

The session ended with remarks of appreciation by Prof Nachiketa K, who invited Vice-Admiral Chauhan to deliver further talks on the subject in-person at the SOA.