Andaman Islands: India’s strategic frontline in Indo-Pacific
“At the heart of this strategy lies the Six Degree Channel, also known as the Great Channel, a 163 km-wide passage between Great Nicobar and Indonesia’s Sumatra. Through it flows a quarter of global maritime trade, including 80 per cent of China’s oil imports. Some 94,000 ships pass annually, making it a lifeline. For India, dominating this artery means holding a chokehold on potential adversaries. Unlike the Malacca Strait, farther east and shared with allies, the Great Channel offers New Delhi unilateral leverage—monitoring traffic in peacetime, interdicting it in crisis.”
“The islands’ position amplifies this advantage. Stretching 800 km from Myanmar to Indonesia, they guard the entrance to the Indian Ocean from the South China Sea. China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’—its vulnerability to blockade—becomes India’s opportunity. Beijing knows this: its survey ships have probed nearby waters, and it has leased Myanmar’s Coco Islands, just 55 km north, for what many suspect are listening posts. India’s response? A muscular buildup to turn vulnerability into strength.”
“Enter the Rs 5,650-crore masterplan, a ten-year blueprint to militarise the archipelago…”