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Indian Ocean more contested, and important than ever before: Vice Admiral Swaminathan
Vice Admiral Swaminathan spoke at a conference on Atmanirbharta in Defence – Opportunities for MSMEs, highlighting the Indian Ocean's rising contestation and the Indo-Pacific as a defining 21st-century theatre. He stressed the Indian Navy's operational role in securing sea routes and humanitarian aid, and outlined MSME opportunities in defence vessel manufacture, ship repair, and refitting, stating indigenous manufacturing is the new gold standard for procurement.
Why It Matters
The remarks underline shifting regional security dynamics in the Indian Ocean and potential economic opportunities for Indian industry through defence supply chains.
Timeline
1 Event
Swaminathan's remarks at the conference on Atmanirbharta in Defence – Opportunities for MSMEs
May 12, 2026
At the Bramha Research Foundation and Indian Navy conference on Atmanirbharta in Defence – Opportunities for MSMEs, Vice Admiral Swaminathan stated that the Indian Ocean has become more contested and more consequential than at any point in living memory as the Indo-Pacific emerges as the defining theatre of 21st-century geopolitics. He described the Indian Navy's role in securing commercial sea routes and delivering humanitarian assistance, saying it is 'not a peacetime ceremonial force but an operational navy deployed continuously across a vast and complex maritime theatre.' He also highlighted opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises in the manufacture of defence vessels, ship repair, and refitting, and noted that 'Indigenous manufacturing has now become the gold standard of government procurement' amid a changing policy landscape to boost Atmanirbharta.