IOS SAGAR: An Experiment in Maritime Cooperation

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On 8 May, the Indian Navy concluded the inaugural edition of its new initiative, IOS SAGAR. It involved a month-long deployment of the INS Sunayna in the South-West Indian Ocean with a crew strength of 44, from the navies and coast guards of 10 countries. The participant countries in this initiative were Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. With the Indian Navy seeking to expand its multifaceted engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), this initiative stands out as a unique effort to enhance maritime cooperation.

The shifting maritime security architecture in the region一and indeed, the evolving maritime security compulsions driving the strategies of various littoral states in the IOR一mandates increased cooperation among the navies of these countries.

As the principal maritime security actor in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy has sought to deepen its engagement with other littoral countries. These engagements have paved the way for a calibrated agenda of naval diplomacy. With complex geopolitical developments unfolding in the Indo-Pacific as well as the IOR, the Indian Navy has emerged as a vital arm for India’s diplomatic engagement. The shifting maritime security architecture in the region一and indeed, the evolving maritime security compulsions driving the strategies of various littoral states in the IOR一mandates increased cooperation among the navies of these countries. In this light, IOS SAGAR demonstrates the Indian Navy’s efforts to enhance cooperation with like-minded partners, positioning itself as a preferred security partner and first responder.

As part of the initiative, naval personnel from the 10 participating countries held training drills and exchanged best practices, thus enhancing interoperability and mutual understanding. Given that exchanges among navies have emerged as a critical pillar of naval diplomacy, IOS SAGAR serves as a vital experiment in advancing maritime cooperation. Unlike other engagements towards the pursuance of naval diplomacy, IOS SAGAR stands out as a unique model of deepening regional engagement. The month-long deployment of Indian vessels was meant to build synergy among the navies of friendly countries, thereby expanding the scope and methods of naval diplomacy.

This initiative, when viewed in the context of the developments shaping India’s evolving maritime outlook, indicates a coherent strategy. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India’s SAGAR vision, which has since served as a framework shaping New Delhi’s maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean. In March 2025, Modi expanded the scope of the SAGAR vision, rechristening it as MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement of Security and Growth for All in the Region), emphasising the role of the Global South in India’s maritime neighbourhood. IOS SAGAR serves as India’s first attempt to implement this vision. The South-West Indian Ocean Region remains a critical maritime theatre in the wider IOR. Given China’s growing political influence among the littoral states, the escalating threat of piracy, and the risks posed by climate change-induced environmental concerns, the region remains vulnerable to myriad maritime security concerns.

In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi articulated India’s SAGAR vision, which has since served as a framework shaping New Delhi’s maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean.

India’s strategy acknowledges and accommodates these evolving maritime security concerns. While maritime security has traditionally been viewed through the lens of state conflict and naval build-up, the challenges in the IOR have remained non-traditional. India’s outlook towards the region, and its purported role in the Indian Ocean, has remained cautious of the compulsions, objectives, and sensitivities of the resident countries in the Indian Ocean. Increasing interoperability in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts is a priority area for India to expand its engagement with countries in its maritime neighbourhood.

Moreover, the composition of partner countries in IOS SAGAR further demonstrates India’s willingness to deepen its engagement with littoral countries in Africa. While much of the Indo-Pacific imagination is dominated by the eastern Indian Ocean geography, Africa remains key to India’s cartographic view of the Indo-Pacific. Towards this end, the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) has emerged as a vital multilateral maritime platform for India to enhance cooperation with nine African maritime partner countries. IOS SAGAR’s participation in AIKEYME alongside INS Chennai and INS Kesari demonstrates India’s role as a facilitator of maritime cooperation in the region. This has resulted in the development of a holistic cooperation mechanism一not only between India and the African littoral states, but also through the inclusion of South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka and the Maldives一to build a stable maritime security architecture in the IOR.

The Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) has emerged as a vital multilateral maritime platform for India to enhance cooperation with nine African maritime partner countries.

Three key takeaways stand out in characterising IOS SAGAR. First, new mechanisms of leveraging naval diplomacy appear to be underway in the Indian Navy’s approach to foster cooperation and construct a cohesive maritime security architecture in the Indian Ocean. Second, India’s MAHASAGAR vision seems to be operational by way of deepening engagement with the African littoral, as evidenced by the dominant participation of African countries in IOS SAGAR, along with the initiation of the AIKEYME. Third, India’s naval diplomacy efforts remain cautious and accommodative of the compulsions, sensitivities, security concerns and priorities of the Indian Ocean littoral countries.

With the growing geopolitical volatility in the Indian Ocean and escalating threats posed by non-traditional maritime security challenges一including natural disasters, piracy, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing一India needs to continue engaging with its maritime neighbours to address these risks. Following its purported role of being a preferred security partner and first responder, India’s role remains critical in fostering regional cooperation on maritime security among stakeholders bound by common security interests and challenges. Towards this end, IOS SAGAR serves as a crucial experiment in exploring innovative models of enhancing cooperation. While the initiative’s geographical scope was limited to the South-West Indian Ocean Region, it is imperative to expand such cooperation into other critical maritime theatres. Doing so will enable India to craft a cohesive policy outlook towards the wider IOR.

Sayantan Haldar is a Research Assistant with the Strategic Studies Programme at the Observer Research Foundation.

• International Affairs
• Indian Ocean
• Maritime Security
• India
• india africa maritime cooperation
• ins sunayna
• ios sagar
• ios sagar mission
• maritime security in indian ocean region
• maritime security in ior
• sagar initiative

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