India Anchors Cooperation at Sea: Navy Top Brass Outline MAHASAGAR Vision

At the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi, India’s top naval leadership calls for unity, capacity-building and shared prosperity across the Indo-Pacific.The Indian Navy opened the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2025 with a strong call for collective maritime action.
Addressing representatives from 30 countries, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi urged regional navies to “share ideas for building a safer, stronger and more prosperous maritime order.”

In a video message, Admiral Tripathi described IPRD as “a premier platform for the nations of the region to come together, share perspectives and explore new opportunities for cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.”

He said this year’s theme — “Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth Through Regional Capacity-Building and Capability-Enhancement” — was “both timely and apt.”

Framing the discussions within Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s MAHASAGAR vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions), the Navy Chief added:  “MAHASAGAR places capacity-building at the heart of our collective maritime progress. It encourages cooperation among like-minded nations to ensure shared security and prosperity.”

A Civilisational Strategy

Admiral Karambir Singh, Chairman of the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), described India’s approach as “a civilisational ethos turned strategy.”
“Security is not an instrument of influence but an extension of our civilisational ethos — Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world as one family,” he said, outlining India’s four guiding principles for credible cooperation — Communication, Collaboration, Customisation and Credibility.

Strategic Geography, Not Strategy

Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd), Director-General of the NMF, underlined that India views the Indo-Pacific “not as a strategy against someone but as a strategic geography where connectivity, cooperation and collaboration must trump confrontation and conflict.”

He said the Dialogue has evolved since 2018 into a listening platform that converts ideas from the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative into practical cooperation.

“The substitution of ‘region’ in SAGAR with ‘regions’ in MAHASAGAR signals India’s readiness to play a constructive maritime role beyond the Indian Ocean — across the world’s single interconnected ocean,” he added.

Capacity Meets Capability

Bringing the operational focus, Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, said,

“Capacity building strengthens the physical and institutional enablers of maritime security — ships, radar chains, infrastructure. Capability enhancement advances the human and operational dimensions — training, exercises, hydrography and joint EEZ surveillance. Together they ensure that capacities created are effectively employed and sustained.”

He cited the Indian Ocean Ship SAGAR deployment (2024) and the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise as examples of how India’s Navy turns partnership into practice.
“Training remains the bedrock of our engagement. It ensures that cooperation translates into operational competence, not dependency,” he added.

India’s Maritime Leadership

The Dialogue, hosted by the Indian Navy with the National Maritime Foundation as Knowledge Partner, is discussing Blue Economy, Climate Resilience, Technology, Connectivity and Disaster Preparedness.

As Admiral Tripathi summed up: “The Indo-Pacific is changing fast. Maritime-security challenges, climate change and supply-chain disruptions are reshaping the region — demanding fresh ideas, stronger partnerships and smarter strategies.”

With IPRD 2025, India is anchoring cooperation at sea — turning vision into action for a more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.