“India has also unveiled plans to expand its naval fleet from 140 to over 200 by 2035—an ambitious buildup to secure its seas, including four nuclear submarines and three carrier battle groups—deployed in the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and northern Indian Ocean. The tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) at Port Blair and the Island Development Agency are transforming the archipelago into a forward military base and economic hub. The island already hosts the Indian Navy’s INS Baaz airbase. Since 2017, the Indian Navy has maintained round-the-year, mission-ready deployments near key maritime chokepoints and has conducted joint exercises with Japan, the U.S., Australia, and Southeast Asian partners, emphasizing anti-submarine warfare to track Chinese submarines transiting from the Western Pacific into the Indian Ocean. India’s participation in the QUAD’s Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the US-led Combined Maritime Force in the Arabian Sea, and arms transfers to Vietnam and the Philippines further enhance its deterrence posture.”
“By the end of 2027, Andaman Port will include liquefied natural gas storage facilities, providing additional energy security for military and civilian vessels. Complementing this, India has invited Japan to invest $30 million (4.02 billion yen) through an Official Development Assistance program, reflecting deepening cooperation in maritime infrastructure and security. Tokyo is boosting cooperation with both India and Southeast Asia, with reported investments in the Andamans and Indonesia’s Sabang port. The Andamans are poised to anchor a coordinated surveillance network across the Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, and Ombai-Wetar Straits, leveraging India’s archipelago alongside Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands, cementing their role as a cornerstone of India’s integrated deterrence strategy.”
“Once fully implemented, the Great Nicobar project could prove to be a masterstroke. Economically, it aims to position India as a major hub in global shipping and logistics on par with Colombo and Port Klang, reducing reliance on foreign ports that drive up costs and delays. The potential offshore deposits of cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese further enhance the project’s significance, offering a path toward mineral self-sufficiency at a time when China’s near-monopoly on rare earths and export restrictions threaten India’s industrialization. Strategically, the project counters China’s growing naval investments in Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Africa while enhancing India’s maritime and underwater domain awareness across the eastern Indian Ocean. By aligning economic and security goals, Great Nicobar enhances India’s deterrence against China.”
https://pacforum.org/publications/pacnet-78-nautical-games-the-great-nicobar-island-project-part-ii/