Indian Navy – the guardian of the Indian Ocean

For long India has aspired to take leadership in the Indian Ocean region and emerge as, firstly the regional 'net security provider' and later as the 'preferred security partner' for regional states. But it seems to have fallen short of expectations by not asserting itself as a major naval power, perhaps overshadowed by a large presence of the US Navy which has been traditionally seen as the underwriter of regional security. However, this may no longer be the case as recent maritime developments indicate that the Indian Navy has now emerged as not just the most preferred security partner for most regional states but also the 'go to' navy for extra-regional navies. This paper looks at how India's view of the Indian Ocean has evolved since independence from a vocal advocate of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace leading to its transformation under the current BJP-led Modi government that we now witness as the 'guardian of the Indian Ocean'.