Introduction
Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions (MAHASAGAR) is the extended Indian maritime vision that builds upon the earlier Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) framework. It aims to reposition India as a central actor in the Asia-Pacific region. This region has emerged as a crucial energy and trade corridor for both regional and extra-regional economies. This vitality makes the security and stability of these waters exceptionally important for international commerce. Through MAHASAGAR, India touted its role as the region’s “net security provider” by promoting “Active Security and Growth for All in the Region”. Through this vision, New Delhi aims to enhance its naval capabilities, strengthen partnerships, and protect its maritime interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).[1]
Despite much noise about the vision, critical gaps exist between the vision and its execution. India’s pace of capacity-building is slower than the rapid expansion of maritime capacity. Its defense export dependency can emerge as a hurdle to the execution of MAHASAGAR. It limits the strategic autonomy and development of the indigenous defense industrial base. Moreover, budget limitations might also undermine the effectiveness of MAHASAGAR. These challenges raise critical questions: To what extent can India sustain its current capacity-building efforts in the IOR? How will India’s dependence on defense exports and budget constraints affect the operationalization of MAHASAGAR?
