Aware of ‘who is doing what and why’ in Indian Ocean: Navy chief

We are aware of what is happening in the IOR, and we know who is doing what, where, why and how,” Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said

The Indian Navy is fully aware of the ongoing developments in the vast Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and keeping a close watch on dual-role vessels (military or spy ships passing off as something else) operating in the vast maritime expanse, navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said on Wednesday, at a time when the Chinese navy is seeking to boost its presence in the region.

Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said the navy was aware of dual role vessels operating in the IOR, which were not doing what they claimed to be doing. (REUTERS)

“We are aware of what is happening in the IOR, and we know who is doing what, where, why and how,” he said, in response to a question during a session at the Raisina Dialogue-2025.

The challenges in the region include China’s carefully calculated power play for influence and defending the rules-based international order. Beijing’s approach to expand its maritime footprint in the IOR includes setting up military bases, pushing countries to advance its maritime claims and forcing strategic concessions from vulnerable states. These actions have fuelled global concerns about China’s intent.

“We feel it’s our responsibility to ensure that the IOR remains peaceful, tranquil and it should facilitate unhindered movement of trade. For that, we are working with multiple partners within and outside the country. We are quite capable of maintaining maritime domain awareness in the region,” Tripathi said.

He said the navy was aware of dual role vessels operating in the IOR, which were not doing what they claimed to be doing.

“We are monitoring them. In many cases, we have acted decisively, called them out and told them ‘this is not allowed, this is not done here,” the navy chief said, sharing the stage with military leaders from the US, Japan, Australia and the Philippines.

China is known to deploy research or survey vessels that collect data that can be used for civilian and military purposes. It has often deployed surveillance vessels in the region to track Indian missile launches. The Indian Navy keeps a close watch on extra-regional activity in the IOR, especially the movement and presence of Chinese vessels.

India has consistently called for a free, open and inclusive order in the IOR and the broader Indo-Pacific, pivoting on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations, while stressing on peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and under the framework of international laws.

“One navy alone cannot say it has the capability to do everything. Individually, we have constraints but together we are not constrained. We are working with everybody, sharing information, intelligence...And as a country and as a navy, we want to work with others on convergence-based issues as that approach brings in results much faster rather than going into alliances,” Tripathi said.

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is also among the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, and China is under the scanner for such activities.

“One must keep one’s ears and eyes open not only in the military domain but also in geopolitics, technology and tactics being employed by state, quasi-state and non-state actors. We have been doing this for some years. The aim is to be future-ready so that we are not caught unawares,” he added.

He said that the navy was working with its partners and imbibing the best practices from them across domains.