MAHASAGAR (Mutual And Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions) is a laudable initiative, but it comes at a time when the international system is undergoing tumultuous changes marked by wars, conflict, and more recently due to tariffs that has shaken up the established global trading system, supply chains mechanism, amid fears of recession.

Be that as it may, MAHASAGAR can potentially play a vital role in bringing mutual trust and stability in the international order. India has prioritized cooperation for varied politico-diplomatic, economic and strategic transactions. New Delhi’s commitment to multilateral institutions such as the G20 and IORA are notable and have been acknowledged by the international community. It has set up a robust framework for cooperation through dialogue mechanisms, formulated action plans, and established institutions to pursue MAHASAGAR, and therefore is primed to build upon these.

Among the many institutions to support MAHASAGAR, the Indian Navy stands apart, and has been “building maritime bridges” through numerous initiatives that have found acceptance among the Indian Ocean littorals and these resonate in many countries beyond the region. In fact MAHASAGAR in its ‘naval avatar’ represents the Indian Navy initiative titled Maritime Heads for Active Security And Growth for All in the Region. A bi-annual event since 2023, the naval MAHASAGAR has “garnered wide acceptance among the participating nations ever since its inception”. The third iteration held in November 2024 was themed “Training Cooperation to Mitigate Common Maritime Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)” and was attended by Bangladesh, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Tanzania, the littoral states in the Indian Ocean.  

Earlier, in 2020, the Indian Navy added TIDE (Trust; Interoperability; Domain Awareness; and Enhanced Engagements) to its lexicon emphasizing its commitment to engage with like-minded maritime nations “towards pursuance of our [Indian] overall national and regional maritime objectives.” Quintessentially, TIDE is an embodiment of cooperative, convergent, and competitive strategies which resonates with India’s politico-diplomatic thinking and strategic decision-making matrix. The ‘cooperative’ discourse is led by SAGAR; the ‘convergent’ security discourse is led by the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI); and the ‘competitive’ discourse is reflected in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD).

Likewise, Indian Navy’s flag ship initiatives such as the MILAN, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), regular International Fleet Reviews, and facilities like the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) which receives vital operational data from White Shipping under which their specialist agencies exchange information about merchant shipping, have been recognized in the Indian Ocean region and beyond. It merits mention that the IMAC hosts naval officers from countries with whom India has signed the While Shipping agreement.

In fact Indian Navy has emerged as a “preferred security partner” and Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh acknowledged this labelling. At the recent Naval Commander’s Conference in April 2025 Singh noted that the “Indian Navy's crucial role as a principle enabler of peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region”. Shri Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa, underscored “Navy’s significance in national growth and in India's emergence as the 'Preferred Security Partner' in the region”.

More recently, the Indian Navy designated INS Sunayna as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR which had embarked 44 naval personnel from nine Friendly Foreign Nations (FFNs) i.e. Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and South Africa, and sailed to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in April 2025. The Indian Navy hailed the voyage as “a new chapter in maritime cooperation and underscores India’s commitment to a secure, peaceful and prosperous Indian Ocean Region, fostering strong naval partnerships and regional stability.”

The Indian Coast Guard is another arm of the MAHASAGAR and spearheads the regional maritime cooperation through maritime law enforcement which is critical for augmenting maritime domain awareness (MDA). The force also supports the QUAD Member’s Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission through Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific (MAITRI) .

This initiative seeks to train Quad partners maritime law enforcement agencies “to monitor and secure their waters, enforce their laws, and deter unlawful behavior.” MAITRI is an offshoot of the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) which was curated to deliver maritime domain awareness information to partners. According to the Wilmington Declaration (2022), the IPMDA would offer “near-real-time, integrated, and cost-effective maritime domain awareness information to partners in the region”.

Finally, MAHASAGAR comes at a time when trust among states is in short supply. Therefore it must build credible capabilities to contend with the geopolitical, geostrategic and geo-economic turbulences that are churning across the globe.

Dr. Vijay Sakhuja is Professor and Head, Center of Excellence for Geopolitics and International Studies (CEGIS), REVA University, Bengaluru and is associated with Kalinga International Foundation, New Delhi.