Free and open Indo-Pacific are simple and beautiful objectives of a nascent on-again off-again grouping which includes the QUAD (India USA Australia and Japan) and for India’s strategy subsets such as France and the Indian Ocean islands weaved into a military diplomatic bandwidth of influence.
The idea of the QUAD is gathering momentum. The combination is dictated by the concept of Maritime and naval interoperatibility with the QUAD navies working together to leverage their respective formidable capabilities as one force. Indeed, while China is on course to overtake the USA in the number of ships that can be put to sea and submarines that can lurk underwater taking on the four navies together will be an altogether different strategic challenge.
This is because having ships and operating them far from shores are very different things. The operational readiness, tactical employment and underlying strategic parameters need constant drilling from which over time a doctrine of the QUAD can be derived. China has for example struggled with the operational aspects of its aircraft carrier something India has been putting to sea and indeed has tested at war since the 1960’s.
The grand design in the distant future for the QUAD may be to attempt bottling up China within the South China Sea and frustrating Chinese oil supply choke points in the Persian Gulf and the Malacca straits. Finally, there is also the added strain on Chinese resources that QUAD could bring stretching Chinese supply lines and PLA resource allocation choices.
These objectives are to be proactive and its concepts need to be seen drilled in the annual MALABAR naval exercise that India undertakes, along with the United States. The grand maritime exercise underlines both the scope and limitations of the QUAD. It was in 1992 – a long time ago – when the exercise started between India and the United States, it was only in 2015 that India invited Japan.
This story is from the March 2021 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2021 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE NARCOTICS MENACE
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) 2023 Annual Report, prepared in accordance with the international drug control treaties, examines the global drug control situation and makes recommendations to governments and regional and international organizations. It focuses on the role of the Internet, including social media, in JALLAL TOUFIQ, President of the INCB, explores the challenges and opportunities for drug control, prevention, and treatment in the era of the Internet, with a landscape of online drug
DEALING WITH THE DRAGON
Not Containing, but Countering China, in the Indo-Pacific is now the norm of all the leading countries of the region, writes CHINTAMANI MAHAPATRA
UNENDING WAR IN UKRAINE
Is Russia's War in Ukraine following a script or it is lost in direction? RAVI SRIVASTAVA attempts to answer
INDIA MUST RESUME NUCLEAR TESTING
India has to conduct open ended nuclear tests to secure a modicum of data, which will be infinitely more accurate than information derived from inertial confinement fusion facility (ICF) and supercomputer simulations.
ASYMMETRIC MARITIME THREATS & CHALLENGES
VENUGOPAL MENON explains why and how it is imperative to counter asymmetric threats in the maritime domain in India's area of interest
DRDO'S MPATGM
Indian Army gets more teeth for Anti-Tank Warfare, reports GIRISH LINGANNA
SMART AND LETHAL WEAPONS: THE PATH TO 2029
India must tread the path towards development of a whole gamut of next-generation smart and lethal weapons for countering a two-front threat scenario, argues AMARTYA SINHA
ROHDE & SCHWARZ EXPANDS FOOTPRINT IN INDIA BY OPENING NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY IN DELHI
In a strategic move to amplify its offerings and reinforce its market presence, Rohde & Schwarz India (RSINDIA), a subsidiary of the global technology group Rohde & Schwarz GmbH KG & Co, has officially inaugurated a new facility, aiming to significantly enhance its service offerings in the Indian market. The expansion heralds a pivotal moment in RSINDIA'S history, with its Managing Director, YATISH MOHAN, alongside key figures from the R&S Global Office including DR. ALEXANDER ORELLANO, Executive Vice President, and RALF WATAMANIUK, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, providing insights into the company's steady climb to prominence.
SUBMARINE-KILLER CAPABILITY: SMART MISSILE TESTED SUCCESSFULLY
The supersonic missile-assisted torpedo (SMART) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully test-launched from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha on May 1. The test confirmed velocity control, ejection, and symmetric separation.
India's space economy set to soar
India's burgeoning space economy could see a substantial increase in its global share by 2040. At present, India's space sector contributes a modest $8 billion to the overall cake. However, the government has set its sights on an ambitious target, aiming for a five-fold surge in India's share of the global space economy.
