New Delhi: Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Tuesday underscored that maritime security can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of threat control, but must be understood as a “dynaxic” challenge one that is both dynamic and complex.
Speaking at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2025 in New Delhi, Admiral Tripathi said the seas have always been “humanity’s oldest highways,” shaping civilizations and driving global progress. He noted that in the present era of shifting alliances and complex challenges, nations must embrace cooperation and dialogue to ensure peace and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific.
The Navy is hosting the three-day conclave at the Manekshaw Centre from October 28 to 30, with more than 30 international delegates participating. The event, held in collaboration with the National Maritime Foundation, focuses on the theme “Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth: Regional Capacity-Building and Capacity Enhancement.”
Admiral Tripathi said that maritime security and economic growth are interconnected forces, calling them “twin propellers” that power collective advancement. He identified three major trends shaping the maritime landscape commercial disruption, transnational turbulence, and technological transformation.
He warned that global seaborne trade is showing signs of slowdown, with projections of just 0.5 percent growth in 2025 compared to 2.2 percent in 2024. The Red Sea crisis, he said, revealed how a single chokepoint can impact global trade, freight costs, and food prices.
The Navy chief also pointed to rising illegal activities such as unregulated fishing, piracy, arms trafficking, and human smuggling, alongside climate-related threats like rising sea levels and marine pollution. These, he said, reflect a broader disorder that requires collective, cross-border responses.
Admiral Tripathi further highlighted the growing role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and satellites in enhancing maritime awareness. However, he cautioned that these advances also bring vulnerabilities including cyber intrusions, GPS jamming, and electronic interference issues that are increasingly being recorded in the Indian Ocean Region.
He added that the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram currently hosts 15 international liaison officers, with plans to expand that number to 50 by 2028 to strengthen maritime cooperation.
Concluding his address, Admiral Tripathi said that true maritime security must integrate deterrence, governance, environmental protection, and humanitarian action into a single, adaptable framework one that responds to both global challenges and local realities.
