Evaluate the role of HADR and naval cooperation in sustaining India's influence in Myanmar amid political instability there.

Myanmar is the only ASEAN country that shares both a land border (1,643 km) and a maritime boundary (1,098 km) with India [2]. Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar's politics have been unstable. India has relied on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and navy-to-navy ties to keep its influence. These tools work well, but they have clear limits.

How HADR and naval cooperation sustain influence

• Fast relief builds soft power: Under Operation Sadbhav (Typhoon Yagi, 2024), India sent 53 tonnes of relief. Under Operation Brahma (2025 earthquake), it deployed 9 aircraft and 5 warships, delivered about 1,000 tonnes of aid and ran a field hospital that treated 2,519 patients [2].
• A channel that survives changes of government: IMNEX-26, the 8th edition, at Visakhapatnam has a Harbour Phase and a Sea Phase. It builds interoperability under the MAHASAGAR vision [1].
• Regular institutional contact: Naval Staff Talks, a Maritime Cooperation MoU and the Navy Chief's visit in May 2026 keep engagement going whoever governs [2].
• Protecting connectivity: Naval security covers Bay of Bengal sea lanes to Sittwe Port, which has berthed over 301 vessels since 2023 [2].

Limitations

• Ships cannot secure land: The Arakan Army has taken most of Rakhine, the state where Sittwe lies [6]. The Kaladan waterway is complete after ₹629 crore was spent [5], but the road leg to Mizoram is still unfinished.
• Cost to India's legitimacy: A UN Special Rapporteur found that India-based entities supplied US$51 million of arms to Myanmar's military after the coup [3]. The UN High Commissioner has asked states to halt arms transfers wherever there is a "clear risk" of violations [4].
• Little leverage: A five-day exercise gives India no visible influence over how the military treats civilians.

Verdict and way forward HADR is India's most credible and widely welcomed tool. Combat-oriented interoperability is the weakest part of the policy and the easiest to criticise.

• Shift IMNEX's Sea Phase towards HADR and search-and-rescue drills.
• Screen defence supplies against the UN "clear risk" test [4].
• Build Kaladan's security plans around whoever actually controls the territory on the ground [6].

HADR and naval cooperation have kept India a present and trusted neighbour even as diplomatic channels narrowed. If India makes relief the centre of this engagement and talks to everyone on the ground, its influence will last. That would deliver MAHASAGAR's promise of shared security and growth, in line with SDG 16 on peace and strong institutions.