Naval Modernization in South Asia: Strategic Competition between India and Pakistan

Abstract

The modernization of the Navy has become a major aspect of strategic rivalry in South Asia and in this regard the rivalry between the India and Pakistan, both of which are nuclear armed adversaries whose hostility is taking a new dimension in the sea. Historically, South Asian strategic thought was dominated by land-based and continental issues, but it has in the last twenty years experienced a very strong change towards the seas. This is due to the fact that the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has increased strategic importance, expanding maritime trade routes, energy security requirements, and extra-regional interests of the United States and China. It is against this context that both India and Pakistan have undertaken ambitious modernization efforts on its navy to achieve the purpose of increasing deterrence, securing sea line of communication, and expanding power beyond its immediate coastlines.This research paper discusses the essence, motivation, and consequence of modernizing the naval in South Asia based on the comparative evaluation of India and Pakistan naval policies and capacities, as well as the pattern of procurement. Based on qualitative research design built on the analysis of secondary data, the research uses the official naval doctrines, defense white papers, military balance reports, and academic literature to evaluate the influence of the maritime competition on security dynamics in the region. The article puts the concept of naval modernization in the context of more general theoretical approaches, such as realism, security dilemma or the theory of balance of power to clarify how new technological breakthroughs at sea might make the world a much safer place (in terms of deterrence) and, at the same time, promote more instability.The paper claims that the modernization of India and Pakistan naval forces is an expression of the desire of the two countries to become the regional and aspiring global power whereas the maritime policy of Pakistan is mainly deterrence-based in the sense that it aims at counterbalancing the traditional naval advantages of India with asymmetric and sea-denial forces. The results indicate that the risk of heightening security dilemma in South Asia due to unmanaged maritime competition is a possibility that has a high likelihood of miscalculation at sea. The paper ends with an argument that confidence-building measures, maritime dialogue and regional mechanisms of cooperation should be used to deter escalation and enhance stability in the Indian Ocean Region.