India to helm Indian Ocean Naval Symposium after 16 years, CORE principles in focus

India on Friday assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) from Thailand during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs held at Visakhapatnam on Friday.

New Delhi will now stay at the helm of the IONS—which the Indian Navy founded back in 2008—for a two-year period. Notably, the Indian Navy assumes its new position from the Royal Thai Navy 16 years after it last headed the IONS from 2008-10.

Accordingly, in his address, Chief of Naval Staff and IONS Chair Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi articulated a clear and forward-leaning vision to boost inter-naval collaboration and to keep the IONS relevant in an ever-changing world.

“The 21st century is widely regarded as a maritime century and increasingly as an Indian Ocean Century. The Indian Ocean is not merely a geostrategic space but a shared strategic zone whose stability supports global growth and collective well-being,” he declared.

Admiral Tripathi added that India's focus now was to strengthen the CORE principles—Cooperation, Operational awareness, Resilience, and Sustained Engagement—of the IONS.

The conclave brought together Chiefs of Navies and Heads of Maritime Security Agencies from 33 countries, representing members, observers and other Indian Ocean littoral nations. Littoral nations are those that share a coastline with oceans, seas, or large lakes.

Voluntarily launched, the IONS serves as a platform for dialogue, information sharing and collaboration on maritime security and related issues between member countries' naval forces.

Key developments that took place during the conclave include the launch of the upgraded IONS website to enhance usability, institutional continuity, and secure engagement among member navies.

The Philippines has been included as an Observer nation, while Oman joined the IONS Working Group on HADR, further enhancing the scope of collaborative engagement under the forum and widening its reach.

India has also outlined initiatives to be advanced during its tenure, including the conduct of the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX), continued deployment of the IOS SAGAR to IONS member countries with the participation of IONS navies' officials and maritime security agencies onboard, as well as structured Maritime Information Sharing Workshops and dialogues aimed at enhancing operational interaction, professional exchange, and capability enhancement.