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Placing the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at the heart of India’s maritime outreach, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi said the Gurugram hub, designated by the IMO as a voluntary reporting centre, will scale from 15 to about 50 International Liaison Officers by 2028 to turn “information asymmetry into information equity.”
Citing recent IFC-IOR assessments of near-daily GPS jamming and electronic interference across the IOR, Admiral Tripathi framed the seas as a “dynaxic” arena—dynamic and complex, driven by commercial disruption, transnational turbulence and rapid technological change.
Speaking at IPRD-2025 in New Delhi, Admiral Tripathi noted that global seaborne trade growth could slow to 0.5% in 2025 from 2.2% in 2024, with the Red Sea crisis showing how a single chokepoint can jolt freight, insurance, and food prices.
He flagged rising IUU fishing, piracy, arms and narcotics trafficking, and human smuggling, adding that FAO estimates 11–26 million tonnes of IUU losses worth USD 10–23 billion, while climate stress and pollution threaten SIDS.
Outlining a three-pillar response —holistic maritime security, capacity building, and capability enhancement—he highlighted the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise involving nine African nations. Successful mating of India’s Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel with foreign submarines during Exercise Pacific Reach, rollout of NISHAR-MITRA terminals for interoperable information-sharing and the month-long IOS Sagar deployment crewed by about 44 personnel from nine IOR countries were some of the points he stressed.
Placing these efforts under India’s evolution from SAGAR to MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), he said IPRD-2025 aims to convert ideas into region-specific, cooperative action.
The Indian Navy and the National Maritime Foundation are hosting IPRD-2025 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, from 28–30 October under the theme “Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth: Regional Capacity-Building and Capability-Enhancement.” Forty-two speakers span navies, coast guards, governments, industry and academia. Sessions cover climate, security, Africa’s IMS-2050, Indo-Pacific cooperation, the Blue Economy and resilient supply chains, Pacific Islands, and critical infrastructure protection, aiming to translate diagnoses into policy blueprints and deepen India’s leadership as IORA/IONS chair (2025–2027).
The Indo-Pacific as a region matters because it is the world’s main maritime artery, carrying most container traffic, energy flows, and critical minerals through chokepoints such as the Malacca, Hormuz, and Bab el-Mandeb straits.
It houses over half of humanity and a major share of global GDP, innovation and manufacturing capacity. Undersea cables here carry the internet’s backbone. Its fisheries feed millions yet face IUU pressure and climate stress that especially threatens small island states. Strategic competition, among India, China, the United States and regional partners, shapes rules for trade, technology and maritime law. Cooperation here determines resilient supply chains, green transitions and the peace that enables prosperity.
Team BharatShakti
