Examine India's evolving role as a 'net security provider' in the Indian Ocean Region with reference to anti-piracy operations.

India's claim to be a "net security provider" rests on the ability to secure sea lanes for the wider region, not merely its own coast. Anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden — sustained since 2008 [2] — are the clearest test of that claim.

From coastal defence to regional provision

• The Somali piracy surge triggered a continuous Anti-Piracy Patrol from 2008; over 127 naval ships have since been deployed, escorting merchantmen through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor [2].
• Op Sankalp (2019), launched after attacks in the Gulf of Oman, extended presence to the Strait of Hormuz, converting episodic escort into standing mission-based deployment [4].
• In July 2026, the mission-deployed stealth frigate INS Trikand responded to a piracy attempt on MV Golden Arsenal, a St. Vincent-flagged bulk carrier ~300 nm east-northeast of Djibouti, carrying 21 crew including one Indian [1].

Capabilities that make the role credible

• Layered assets: frigate interception, P-8I long-range maritime patrol surveillance, and a boarding team that cleared the vessel for onward passage [1].
• Information architecture: the IFC-IOR, Gurugram (2018), cued the response — a maritime domain awareness hub with liaison officers from partner nations, operationalising the SAGAR vision [3].
• Hard interdiction capacity: MARCOS-led rescue of the hijacked MV Ruen demonstrated action beyond deterrence [5].

Constraints

• Piracy persists alongside Red Sea disruptions, straining ship-days and personnel across a vast ocean [4].
• Prosecution of apprehended pirates remains legally cumbersome, and security benefits flow largely to foreign-flagged, foreign-owned shipping.

India's anti-piracy record shows a navy that has moved from protecting Indian-flagged vessels to underwriting regional shipping security as a public good. Consolidating this requires deeper IFC-IOR information partnerships, capacity-building for smaller littorals, and sustained fleet modernisation — so that SAGAR's promise of security and growth for all in the region is realised in practice.