New Delhi: India and the United States are planning to deepen strategic cooperation in the Indian Ocean region by jointly developing critical infrastructure, strengthening maritime security and providing alternatives to Chinese state-backed projects in countries such as Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius, according to a senior US State Department official.
The cooperation is expected to take place under the Indian Ocean Strategic Venture (IOSV), an initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump during their bilateral summit in February 2025.
Ports, maritime security and digital infrastructure, including future-generation telecommunications standards such as 6G, are expected to be among the key areas of cooperation.
The initiative is also expected to focus on improving maritime governance and helping regional countries strengthen their capabilities to monitor their territorial waters.
Cooperation could include efforts to counter illegal fishing, human trafficking and illicit narcotics trafficking, besides tracking the activities of foreign vessels operating in the region under the guise of research.
The issue is particularly significant for India amid longstanding security concerns over Chinese hydrographic and research vessels operating in the Indian Ocean.
The US official said another key objective of IOSV would be to offer regional countries economic alternatives to projects backed by Chinese state-owned enterprises.
The initiative would seek to combine Indian expertise in infrastructure development with US financial resources and private-sector capabilities, particularly in projects where competing with heavily subsidised Chinese enterprises could be difficult.
The two countries are also working with regional governments to improve their maritime surveillance and governance capabilities. Sri Lanka is expected to be an important partner in these efforts. The US recently donated its fourth Coast Guard cutter to Sri Lanka.
Discussions on IOSV have intensified in recent months. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Under Secretary of State Allison Hoover held discussions on the initiative during a phone call last month, while the two sides also discussed it on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s high-level week in New York.
The talks come ahead of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s expected visit to India later this month.
The proposed cooperation reflects the broader India-US effort to strengthen maritime security, connectivity and strategic resilience across the Indo-Pacific.
