How do multilateral naval exercises beyond the Indian Ocean Region support India's maritime diplomacy and its aim to be a 'preferred security partner'?

Naval exercises held far from home waters turn India's diplomatic goodwill into trust between navies at sea. The ninth India–Brazil–South Africa Maritime Exercise (IBSAMAR IX) ended at Simon's Town, near the Cape of Good Hope, in October 2026, with INS Tarkash representing India [1]. It shows how such drills carry India's maritime role to the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

Strengthening Maritime Diplomacy

• Diplomacy put into practice: IBSAMAR is described as "translating longstanding diplomatic relationships into meaningful naval cooperation" [1].
• Keeping forums active: There has been no IBSA leaders' summit since Pretoria in 2011, which leaves the exercise as one of IBSA's few regular, visible activities [2].
• A Global South platform: IBSA brings together three democracies on three continents. Unlike BRICS, it does not include China or Russia, so India gets a forum on UN Security Council reform and maritime order without them.
• Rules-based order: The drills support "safe, secure and open seas underpinned by a rules-based order" [1], in line with UNCLOS.

Building 'Preferred Security Partner' Credentials

• Interoperability: "Repeated interactions, common training and a shared understanding of maritime operations" [1] help the navies work together, so they can respond jointly in a crisis.
• Showing blue-water reach: India keeps sending frigates this far, such as INS Tarkash in 2022 and again in 2026 [3][1]. This shows it can operate at long range.
• Spillover into bilateral ties: In 2024, the Indian Navy agreed to deploy its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle for South African submarines in distress [4]. This makes India a provider of security help, not just a participant in drills.
• Strategic geography: A presence on the Cape route matters when Red Sea disruptions divert shipping. It extends the SAGAR/MAHASAGAR outlook beyond the Indian Ocean.

Limitations

• Irregular schedule: There was a four-year gap between IBSAMAR VI in 2018 and IBSAMAR VII in 2022 [5][3]. Long pauses weaken the habit of working together.
• Narrow venue and scale: Most editions are held in South Africa; India hosted once, off Goa in 2016 [5]. Sending only one ship limits practice of fleet-level operations.

Overall, exercises beyond the Indian Ocean let India turn goodwill into trust, show its capability and build partnerships that provide security. The way forward is a fixed two-year schedule, holding editions off Brazil in the South Atlantic, and a revived IBSA ministerial agenda on piracy and illegal fishing. Together these would make India a reliable, rules-based security partner, in line with SDG 14 and the MAHASAGAR vision.