The International Fleet Review (IFR) in Visakhapatnam, which was overseen by President Draupadi Murmu is India’s third. The first one was in Mumbai in 2001, the second one in 2016 in Visakhapatnam with the navies of 50 countries participating. The third one on February 18 again in the ‘city of destiny’— Visakhapatnam—is unique in several ways.
With ‘strategic autonomy’—that of not being strongly aligned with any power bloc but to let national interest being the guiding light—being positioned as the main mantra, India is truly walking the talk.
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With the world being increasingly polarised, these are interesting times. And amid the din, India is successfully charting its own unique path in global geopolitical strategy.
From an adverse commentary to having been worsted in national diplomacy, India has come back strongly. On January 27, it inked the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which is being referred to as the ‘mother of all deals’. And just 18 days later, on February 13, it negotiated a seemingly favourable deal by signing the India-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Whether it will be called the ‘father of all deals’ is anybody’s guess though.
Cut to the IFR day on February 18. About 72 countries participated in the event where even countries placed in opposing blocs like the US and the West on one hand and countries like Russia and Iran on the other, took part—speaking volumes about India’s global relationships that is reflective of strategic maneuverability.
About 19 warships from 18 countries, besides dozens of Indian naval platforms including the INS Vikrant, destroyers, frigates, submarines and even the odd Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) were showcased before the presidential ship—the INS Sumedha—that sailed with the country’s Supreme Commander-in-Chief President Draupadi Murmu.
The IFR is being held with two other events concomitantly—the Indian Navy’s flagship event ‘Exercise Milan’ and the biennial IONS (Indian Ocean Naval Symposium) Chiefs Conclave.
The IFR Day on February 18 is also a day bang in the middle of the AI India Impact that is being held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20. About 20 heads of state are attending this event besides leaders from about 100 countries and 40 CEOs from the world’s top technology companies that include the likes of Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei.
The heads of state include French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spain’s President Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon.
Ergo, in Vizag on Wednesday, India may have unravelled its plan to use the seas as strategic plus, not geography’s curse.
If the seemingly innocuous events listed above are not metaphors for a strategic overreach, what is?
