Maritime Domain in India’s Strategic Thinking: Importance & Challenges

Table of Contents

Context: India’s growing alignment with the Arab Gulf reflects a strategic shift toward maritime priorities, reviving the Bombay School’s vision while integrating it with enduring continental security concerns.

Continental vs Maritime Thinking of India’s Strategic Lens

Historically, the defence of the Indian Subcontinent has been viewed through two distinct lenses, born out of the British Raj’s “Great Game.”

Feature	Bombay School (Maritime)	Ludhiana School (Continental)
Key Propounders	Mountstuart Elphinstone, John Malcolm, and later influenced by Alfred Thayer Mahan.	The Lawrence Brothers (Henry & John), Claude Wade, and influenced by Halford Mackinder.
Strategic Logic	“Littoral” Logic: Security is achieved by controlling the “outer ring” (coasts and ports) and maintaining command of the sea.	“Frontier” Logic: Security is achieved by controlling the “inner ring” (mountain passes and buffers) and maintaining a forward presence.
Primary Geography	Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and the wider Indo-Pacific.	Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Himalayan frontiers (LAC/LoC).
Core Philosophy	Mercantile Realism: Wealth and trade are the primary engines of national power.	Territorial Realism: Land and physical sovereignty are the primary engines of national security.
View of the Border	The sea is a bridge; it is an open space for manoeuvre and global connectivity.	The mountains are a wall; they are a site of friction that must be guarded against invasion.
Primary Instruments	Blue-water Navy, merchant shipping, maritime hubs (Ports), and the Diaspora.	Large standing Army, fortifications, border infrastructure, and “Strategic Depth.”
Economic Orientation	Geoeconomic: Focused on global supply chain integration and “Blue Economy.”	Geostrategic: Focused on self-reliance and securing land-based resource corridors.
Modern Manifestation	IMEC, SAGAR Doctrine, and the “Necklace of Diamonds” strategy.	“Vibrant Villages” program, BRO infrastructure, and high-altitude mountain divisions.

Reasons for dominance of Continental Domain In India’s Strategic Thinking

Historical–Psychological Factors

The legacy of Partition (1947) created immediate continental compulsions, as India inherited contested and hostile land borders requiring sustained military deployment.
The Kashmir conflict entrenched a permanent state of high-altitude warfare, locking strategic attention and resources onto the northern frontiers.
A deep-rooted continental threat perception, shaped by historical invasions through the northwest passes, reinforced the primacy of land-based security.
The collapse of the “Himalayan shield” myth after the Sino-Indian War compelled India to divert significant resources toward guarding its northern borders.

Institutional & Structural Factors

The colonial “Ludhiana School” bureaucracy institutionalized a land-centric strategic culture focused on frontier management and continental defence.
Army dominance in force structure and budgeting reinforced continental priorities, as strategic thinking followed resource allocation.
The shift of the capital from Kolkata to Delhi in 1911 created a geographical and psychological bias, centering policy attention on the northern plains rather than maritime frontiers.

Economic–Policy Orientation

Post-independence socialist inwardness deprioritized global trade, reducing the strategic relevance of maritime domains.
The neglect of ports and maritime infrastructure during the License Raj limited India’s integration into global supply chains.
A bias toward internal connectivity (railways and highways) further entrenched a land-centric development model.

Geostrategic Constraints

The persistent two-front threat perception from Pakistan and China necessitated a “boots on the ground” approach to territorial defence.
Active borders such as the Line of Control (LoC) and Line of Actual Control (LAC) require continuous military vigilance, reinforcing continental prioritisation.
The pursuit of strategic depth in Afghanistan reflects enduring continental anxieties about external destabilisation of the Indian heartland.

Adverse Implications of Continental Over-Focus

Strategic & Geopolitical Costs

The “South Asian Ghetto” trap leads to India’s hyphenation with Pakistan, thereby constraining its global power projection.
Strategic encirclement results from littoral neglect, enabling external powers to expand their footprint in the Indian Ocean.
A reactive defensive posture, rooted in a “fortress mindset,” prioritizes static defence over proactive strategic shaping.
The “continental island” reality creates a land blockade, making India dependent on maritime routes for global access.

Military-Strategic Distortions

The “continental tax” leads to an army-heavy allocation of resources, resulting in the underfunding of naval capabilities.
A capability imbalance persists as a weak blue-water navy limits India’s ability to project power beyond its immediate region.

Geoeconomic & Trade Consequences

Geoeconomic stagnation arises from the neglect of trade-led growth and increasing vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions.
Loss of port competitiveness forces reliance on foreign hubs, leading to both revenue losses and strategic leakage.

Structural Strategic Outcome

The persistence of a continental overhang sustains a defence-heavy, inward-looking posture that constrains maritime expansion.

Need for India to give primacy to Maritime domain in its Strategic Thinking

Economic survival and geoeconomic integration require India to adopt “trade as grand strategy,” as over 90% of trade by volume and critical energy flows through key chokepoints.
Overcoming the “Ludhiana” land blockade demands leveraging India’s peninsular advantage, as maritime corridors like IMEC enable it to bypass hostile land routes and integrate with global markets.
Countering strategic encirclement necessitates a Mahanian maritime approach, as India’s central location allows it to maintain internal lines of communication and outmanoeuvre external naval powers.
Global power projection is enabled by embracing the “Bombay School,” as a blue-water navy allows India to act as a net security provider and shape the global commons.
Strategic decoupling from subcontinental constraints requires an integrated approach, where maritime expansion complements continental deterrence and aligns India with Indo-Pacific partnerships.
Protection of subsea infrastructure is essential, as undersea fibre-optic cables form the backbone of global finance and digital connectivity.
Enhanced maritime domain awareness is critical, as satellite and AI-enabled surveillance transforms the oceans into a transparent and controllable strategic space.

Present Need to Maritime Primacy

Weaponisation of Chokepoints

Hormuz Vulnerability: The February–March 2026 crisis proved that land-centric defense cannot protect India from a maritime “heart attack” when the Strait of Hormuz is restricted.
Active Security: With half of India’s crude oil passing through a single artery, the Navy must secure these “outer gates” far from Indian shores to ensure national energy survival.

Failure of Continental Redundancy

INSTC Paralysis: Kinetic strikes on Iranian infrastructure have neutralised the International North-South Transport Corridor, exposing the fragility of land-based connectivity during high-intensity wars.
The IMEC Pivot: Stability in the Arab Gulf (UAE/Saudi Arabia) makes the maritime-led IMEC a more resilient alternative to volatile continental routes through conflict zones.

Strategic “De-hyphenation”

Special Strategic Partnerships: As of April 2026, ties with the Gulf have evolved from a buyer-seller model into deep security cooperation, decoupling India from regional ideological strife.
Commercial Realism: Supporting the Arab Gulf’s political moderation aligns India with partners who prioritise global commerce and stability over revolutionary or proxy warfare.

Suggestions to pursue maritime primacy

To effectively execute the Bombay School of thought, India must move beyond traditional coastal defence and embrace its role as a “Peninsular Pivot.” This requires a shift from viewing the ocean as a barrier to seeing it as a medium for power and prosperity.

Naval Modernization: Projecting Blue-Water Power

Carrier Battle Groups: Building a three-carrier fleet to ensure continuous presence in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal while maintaining a third for global contingencies.
Silent Deterrence: Prioritizing the construction of nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) to monitor deep-sea chokepoints and counter rival naval incursions.
Unmanned Tech: Deploying AI-driven surface vessels and underwater drones for persistent, low-cost surveillance of vital sea lanes.

Geoeconomic Integration: Ports as Power

Transshipment Hubs: Developing domestic hubs like Vizhinjam and Galathea Bay to reduce reliance on foreign ports like Colombo or Singapore.
Necklace of Diamonds: Expanding access to strategic overseas ports such as Chabahar (Iran), Duqm (Oman), and Sabang (Indonesia).
IMEC Implementation: Fast-tracking the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor to bypass hostile land routes and integrate with Mediterranean markets.

Diplomatic Architecture: Leading the Indo-Pacific

Mission-Based Deployments: Maintaining a permanent naval presence in the Gulf of Aden and the South China Sea to uphold “Freedom of Navigation.”
Logistics Reach: Leveraging agreements like LEMOA to use global naval bases for refuelling, effectively extending India’s reach without overseas colonies.
Mini-lateral Partnerships: Strengthening the Quad and I2U2 to ensure a rules-based order that prevents single-power dominance in the Indian Ocean.

Institutional Reform: Ending the Continental Bias

Maritime Theatre Command: Unifying naval, air, and land assets under a single commander to streamline responses to maritime threats.
Budgetary Rebalancing: Increasing the Navy’s share of the defence budget from roughly 18% to at least 25% to reflect modern geoeconomic realities.
Coordinated Governance: Empowering the National Maritime Security Coordinator to sync efforts across the Navy, Coast Guard, and commercial shipping sectors.

India must evolve from a frontier-fixated continental state into a maritime-centric network power, leveraging its Indian Ocean centrality to shape the emerging Indo-Pacific order.