From Palk to Malacca: Emerging Indian Maritime Strategies
Self-proclaimed “the British Raj legatee”, independent India has until recently only developed a land-based defence strategy, relinquishing its maritime heritage and acting as a brown water Navy in charge of the security of its coasts, far from the chokepoints once patrolled by the Royal Navy. The emergence of a blue water navy has been a long and inconsistent process, slowed by budgetary constraints. India now needs to formulate a clear maritime strategy as a means of ensuring its economic development, which implies patrolling along the Indian straits.