Cooperation Among Maritime Security Forces: Imperatives for India and Southeast Asia

The end of the Cold War witnessed a realignment of equations amongst states to adapt to the changed world order. Within its ‘Look East’ policy, India initiated an economic engagement with its extended eastern neighbourhood to generate political trust and eventually forge multifaceted bonds. Due to the salience of Southeast Asia in geo-strategic terms, cooperation among maritime security forces has lately become imperative to respond to transnational security threats and realise common politico-strategic objectives. It is therefore important to identify the complementarities in that direction and explore avenues for cooperation in terms of coordinated operations. Such engagement would serve not only to enhance interoperability, but also further strengthen confidence at the political level and hence among the maritime forces.