28 April 2025, NIICE Commentary 10674
Rinto Sebastian Charles
Amidst the escalating geopolitical rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, with China's naval expansion and the QUAD development, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) have emerged as a pivotal element of New Delhi's strategic calculus. This shift from a remote outpost to a strategic hub is driven by military modernisation, economic diversification, and increased policy attention, positioning ANI as a key player in India's maritime influence and regional engagement.
The islands' colonial penal history and World War II Japanese occupation underscored their enduring military importance. Despite being overlooked mainly after independence, ANI's strategic location—over 1,300km from the Indian mainland and just 150km from Indonesia—has remained a significant advantage. Positioned near the Malacca Strait, a crucial chokepoint for global trade and energy, ANI's relevance was further reinforced by establishing the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) in 2001, India's sole tri-service theatre command. The ANC was to bring together Army, Navy, and Air Force units, exercising power and keeping a watch on sea activity in the eastern Indian Ocean. These islands’ today give India a commanding geostrategic presence in the Bay of Bengal and a springboard for Southeast Asian interaction.
Infrastructure Development
Military and Strategic
India's recent initiatives in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands showcase a departure from defensive isolation towards proactive engagement. The extension of airstrips at INS Kohassa and Campbell Bay, coupled with the augmentation of jetties and ports, reflects a shift towards a forward-leaning position. These developments, aimed at supporting sophisticated surveillance and military operations, are strategic steps towards enhancing India's maritime influence and regional security.
Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) is also being increased with radar chains, coastal surveillance, and underwater sensors so India can track shipping and submarine traffic through strategic chokepoints and the Malacca Strait. ANI has also emerged as a centre for joint exercises with QUAD partners, enhancing India's commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and interoperability with like-minded navies.
The Great Nicobar Island Mega Project
According to The Indian Express, “The Great Nicobar Island Mega Project is the most ambitious initiative yet. With an investment of over INR72,000 crore, it envisions an international transhipment port at Galathea Bay, a new airport, power plants, and a military base.” It is projected to be a logistics and commercial hub rivalling Chinese-backed ports in the area, and a forward-operating base for the Indian military.
This initiative is closely linked to India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine. By creating connectivity and economic interaction, India aims to integrate the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) into regional supply chains, stimulate investment, and enhance its ability to secure strategic sea lanes. The initiative has, however, been criticised for its potential environmental impact and the resettlement of vulnerable indigenous populations, such as the Shompen and Nicobarese. Weighing strategic objectives against sustainability and social justice is a daunting challenge.
ANI's transformation is not just in the military overhauls. Under Vision 2030 and the Island Development Agency, the islands are hubs of eco-tourism, fishing, maritime education, and MSMES. The government plans to boost fish production, create export infrastructure, and promote deep-sea fishing to generate employment and protect the fragile ecosystem and the indigenous population.
Investment is now directed towards local generation, water supply, and digital connectivity, including the installation of submarine optical fibre cables to enhance education, healthcare, and commerce. However, regulatory challenges, such as stringent Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) restrictions and limited land availability, impede progress. The islands' distinctive biodiversity and the presence of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups necessitate a focus on inclusive and sustainable development.
Comparing India’s Andaman and Nicobar Developments with China’s Island Strategy
The contradictory maritime polities of China in the South China Sea (SCS) and India in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) represent differing geopolitical philosophies and legal strategies. China's artificial island building, around disputed reefs such as those in the Spratlys, involves massive reclamation and militarisation, including airstrips and missile defence, to assert control over strategic sea lanes. Based on offensive realism, this policy contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in favour of the Philippines, which declared China's actions unlawful. The environmental cost-destruction of coral reefs disrupted fisheries, and loss of biodiversity, further fuels regional tensions, as surrounding nations depend on these waters for their livelihood. India's ANI development, in contrast, aims to develop sovereign territory through dual-use infrastructure (civilian ports, surveillance systems) and eco-tourism, in keeping with liberal internationalist values of multilateralism and rules-based order.
Cooperative with Quad nations and ASEAN states, India places ANI as a stabilising "double fishhook" against China's "String of Pearls," securing the Malacca Strait's western approaches. India is, however, alleged to pose deforestation risks and possible displacement of indigenous Shompen communities, indicative of tensions between security imperatives and sustainable development. While China's unilateralism erodes regional stability and environmental governance, India's defective policy prioritises legitimacy and partnership. Both examples highlight lacunae in international law, notably UNCLOS, which lacks specificity on artificial island building in disputed waters. The Indo-Pacific's changing power dynamics will depend on balancing military assertiveness with environmental and social responsibility, and the capacity to legitimise action by conformity with international norms and inclusive development practices. China's approach risks entrenching conflict, while India's model, if refined, could provide a model for the marriage of security and sustainability.
Geopolitical Implications and Regional Security
ANI's transformation significantly impacts global geopolitics, enhancing India’s position against China’s encirclement strategy and providing a platform to monitor Chinese naval movements in the Malacca Strait and Bay of Bengal. India has bolstered its surveillance and military capabilities, conducting joint patrols and exercises with partners like Indonesia and Australia, which strengthens its role as a security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
ANI's strategic location allows India to project power and protect essential sea lines for trade and energy security. The country pursues regional security cooperation through bilateral and multilateral naval partnerships focused on anti-piracy and disaster response. However, challenges remain, including costly infrastructure development, environmental risks, and the need for coordination among military and civilian authorities.
To realize ANI's potential as a forward operating base and logistics hub, India must invest sustainably and balance strategic, economic, and ecological priorities. Adapting its strategy to evolving regional security dynamics will be crucial for ANI to serve effectively in the Indo-Pacific.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been brought from the periphery to the centre of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy. As India’s “unsinkable sentinel,” they offer unparalleled surveillance, deterrence, and regional engagement advantages. If handled wisely, their transformation could be ANI’s most significant asset in handling the Indo-Pacific turbulence of geopolitics. It is instructive too: China’s militarised outposts of artificial islands militarily project power through coercion and destabilise the South China Sea; India’s ANI development of these islands is regarding legitimacy, partnership and an ethos of collaboration for shared prosperity and security. Who can define the model for that future that both tingles with cooperation and balance, or which, in contrast, features the contestation and dominance of what? That may very well be the future of the Indo-Pacific.
Rinto Sebastian Charles is Research Intern at NIICE and is currently pursuing his Master's in International Studies at Christ University, Bangalore, India.
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