India’s role in capacity building and capability enhancement across the Indo-Pacific

Stretching from the eastern coast of the continent of Africa to the western shores of the Americas, the Indo-Pacific represents the world’s most dynamic maritime space.

- VICE ADMIRAL PRADEEP CHAUHAN (RETD)

As we await the formal raising of the curtain to mark the commencement of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2025 (IPRD 2025) at the resplendent Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi this Tuesday, its theme—Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth: Regional Capacity Building and Capability Enhancement—is already resonating deeply across the region, capturing the essence of India’s strategic engagement with the wider maritime world.

The IPRD, hosted annually by the Indian Navy in partnership with the National Maritime Foundation, serves as India’s premier regional platform for debate and policy exchange on Indo-Pacific maritime affairs. This year’s theme is both timely and significant, reflecting the region's evolving security challenges, economic interdependence, and climate-induced vulnerabilities that demand cooperative and sustainable responses.

Stretching from the eastern coast of the continent of Africa to the western shores of the Americas, the Indo-Pacific represents the world’s most dynamic maritime space. It carries over two-thirds of global trade and supports the livelihoods of billions of human beings. For India, these waters are indispensable as over 80% of the country’s trade travels upon them. It is, therefore, a matter of great disquiet that these waters are witnessing increasingly disruptive geopolitical rivalries, illegal fishing, environmental degradation, and growing disaster risks. Addressing these challenges requires a multidimensional approach that goes beyond combat capability alone and focuses on the very foundations of capacity and capability across the region.