In the medieval period, India was global power in maritime capabilities in relation to seafarers, traders, and cultural and civilizational expansion.
With changing times, the dynamics of the world have also changed. Policymakers need to look 21st century through a different prism.
The Maritime Domain Awareness gained substantial importance worldwide post 9/11 attacks. In India, it emerged post 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack. While MDA remained captive to strategic thinking, one of its important subset i.e. Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework transcends the security discourse and integrates all the stakeholder including security apparatus, blue economic entities, environmental regulators, disaster management authorities to synergies efforts for ensuring safe, secure, sustainable growth for all in the region.
Recently Chinese behavior and incursion in the northern part of India have drawn worldwide attention. While India should also not lose sight of its surrounding waters.
Recent Issues:
· Recently Indian navy has forbidden Chinese maritime research vessels to ply on India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). India has legislation (Act no. 80/1976) that requires foreign marine scientific vessels to seek license prior to undertaking activities.
· It is a well-known fact that the chines government uses these research vessels to gather crucial oceanographic data such as sub-sea and sea-bed conditions for its military purposes.
· Australia raised concern when a Chinese research vessel entered international waters and it was suspected that it was trying to map the routes of Australian submarines in the South China Sea.
· China has also deployed unmanned underwater drones.
Benefits of UDA
· It will help to integrate like-minded countries with similar concerns to share resources, data and move towards sustainable development of all regions in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)
· Growing economical movement in the IOR has increased noise in the ocean leading to an irregular migrating patterns of the species. Through UDA collaboration environmental issues can be addressed