Joint maritime mechanism in Indian Ocean Region will be based on consensus: Navy Chief

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Tripathi on Saturday (February 21, 2026) said that any proposed joint maritime mechanism in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) would be based on consensus among participating nations, assuring India’s support for partner countries in capacity-building efforts.

Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) 2026, Admiral Tripathi said the first session of the conclave involved discussions regarding enhanced cooperation among IOR nations, including the possibility of a joint task force-type arrangement.

“The GMC is based on consensus. There has to be a consensus among all nations. All of us have different capabilities, so what everyone brings to the table has to be taken into consideration,” he said.

The Navy chief noted that the idea of closer operational cooperation was well accepted and said modalities of a joint task force would have to be worked out collectively.

He highlighted a previous initiative, referring to Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), under which personnel from 10 IOR countries embarked on an Indian naval platform last year and sailed together for 41 days, making port calls across the region.

“The experience and feedback we got was very positive, including from the maritime and political leadership of various countries. Based on that, we have decided to have IOS SAGAR 2.0 this year. We are deciding the date,” he said.

Such initiatives, where officers and sailors from IOR nations sail and work together, help build a common understanding of the maritime environment, he said.

“When they sail together and work together, the maritime environment that they see — whether electronically or through their eyes — is common. Therefore, they have a common understanding, which will obviously see greater acceptance of each other’s views and enhance interoperability between participating nations,” he added.

On emerging challenges in the region, Admiral Tripathi said that the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean — the third-largest ocean in the world — makes persistent surveillance a major challenge.

He stressed the need for real-time exchange of information, particularly to tackle issues such as narcotics trade, human trafficking and maritime terrorism.

“In many cases, especially issues like narcotics trade, human trafficking and maritime terrorism, there has to be real-time exchange of information. Not that it has not happened in the past — there are success stories where some countries have worked together and ensured that certain illegal activities do not succeed,” he said.

The Navy chief noted that the key challenge lies in capacity constraints.

“Being a responsible nation, we take pride in supporting any activities of partner nations as far as capacity building is concerned, based on their request and discussions that happen at various levels,” he added.