Chagos and the Militarization of the Indian Ocean

Mar 23, 2026 | Nitya Labh
View Original

The geopolitics of the wider Indian Ocean have undergone tremendous shifts over the past few decades, as traditional maritime powers like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan have increasingly shared the theater with rising navies like those of India, China, and the United Arab Emirates. This transformation follows a broader deterioration in the global security environment, especially in the maritime domain: from Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea to US strikes on Iranian naval ships and joint China-Russia naval exercises, the Indian Ocean is experiencing a notable militarization.