India has been busy in the eastern Indian Ocean of late. In early February, the country finished its second International Fleet Review, which brought together 52 countries and more than 100 warships for ceremonial inspections, underscoring the growing indispensability of the maritime posture in India’s eastward orientation. In March, India test-fired a ballistic missile from its soon-to-be inducted, nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, in the Bay of Bengal. In early May, the Indian Navy participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ Defense Ministers’ Meeting, which coincided with a collaborative exercise focussed on counterterrorism and maritime security in the South China Sea.
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