News of the establishment of a Regional Security Training Centre by the US in Cyprus follows closely on the heels of rising speculation on the closure of the US’ air force base in Incirlik, Turkey. This announcement amidst an intense standoff between the Greek and Turkish navies in the Eastern Mediterranean, not only questions NATO’s […]
This is the fourth and penultimate tranche of the NMF’s ongoing effort to provide Indian policy-makers with a compelling set of arguments to not only support ocean renewable energy resources (ORER) as an economically viable and ecologically sustainable option to supplement solar and onshore wind energy, but to specifically adopt hydrogen-fuel derived from the oceans […]
The ocean environment off the East coast of Sri Lanka was threatened when a fire aboard an oil tanker carrying crude oil bound for the Indian port of Paradip caught fire. The fire was extinguished and oil spill addressed through the joint efforts of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, which is an example […]
The Indian Navy’s deployment of a single warship to the South China Sea during the ongoing stand-off with China on Line of Actual Control (LAC) could be assumed as a signal of intent pointing to more frequent deployments with more ships.
In the past week, three B-2 Stealth Bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia to support the Pacific Air Forces Bomber Task Force Missions. The last such deployment in the INDOPACOM was in January 2019 and the bombers were based in Hawaii. The present deployment in the time of the ongoing India-China stand-off raises many questions. […]
Abstract Small Island Developing States are particularly vulnerable to the peril of climate change. Sea level rise, an increase in sea surface temperature, high incidences of drought and flood are some of the challenges faced by island states. The Republic of Maldives is one such island state which has been publicly advocating for the reduction […]
Using a maritime metaphor evoking the EU “in rougher seas”, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, defends the vision of a European Union affirming its identity and values in a climate of heightened strategic competition between the United States and China. This maritime dimension is worth exploring. […]
The impacts of climate change are now affecting the way of life for billions of people in almost every part of the planet. Future projections, derived from the latest climate models, suggest that the global average temperature could rise by as much as 5.6 °C above pre-industrial levels if the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in […]
Washington’s failure to find international support for its arms embargo on Iran followed its seizure of four product tankers headed to Venezuela, which violated the US’ embargo on the transport of Iranian oil and product exports. Iran’s raid on a Liberian-flagged tanker – in search of the seized petroleum – has upped the ante even […]
The Indonesian city of Sabang that overlooks the Andaman Sea and global maritime traffic passing through Strait of Malacca became a matter of much Indian interest in May 2018[1] when Indonesia’s then Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, invited New Delhi to develop the city’s port infrastructure.[2] Within a fortnight, during the visit of […]
A massive oil spill off the coast of Mauritius has threatened not only its fragile marine ecology but also its COVID-19-hit tourism sector. While Japan dispatched a team to assist the island nation’s clean-up effort, India sent 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material. This can be viewed as an example of addressing disasters by […]
China’s opposition to any economic activities within its claim lines in the South China Sea cost Vietnam US$ 1 billion in compensation for cancelled oil and gas exploration contracts. An economic loss of such magnitude could strengthen the resolve of the other claimants to counter Chinese aggression through multilateral initiatives involving the major navies of the Indo-Pacific.