New Delhi, July 20: The Cocos Keeling Islands (CKI) are emerging as a key element in India’s evolving maritime strategy by complementing the Andaman and Nicobar Command and expanding strategic visibility across critical Indo-Pacific sea lanes, according to a report published in South Asia Monitor.
The report, authored by Sanjay Agarwal, an Indian Army veteran and former Security Advisor in the Ministry of Home Affairs, states that the India-Australia initiatives involving the Cocos Keeling Islands form part of a broader strategic realignment rather than an isolated island development.
Located in the eastern Indian Ocean, the Cocos Keeling Islands provide India with a wider maritime outlook beyond the Bay of Bengal by extending surveillance and awareness towards the Sunda and Lombok Straits, in addition to the approaches to the Malacca Strait already covered by the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
According to the report, the islands are developing into a dual-use strategic hub that enhances both India’s and Australia’s operational reach across the eastern Indian Ocean. The report states that maritime influence increasingly depends on sustained access, visibility and presence rather than high-profile strategic declarations.
The report notes that the Cocos Keeling Islands occupy a strategic position near the Sunda and Lombok sea lanes, which serve as important maritime and submarine routes connecting the South China Sea with the Indian Ocean. It states that the development adds a southern layer to India’s maritime domain awareness architecture while strengthening Australia’s forward defence posture in the Indian Ocean.
The report further states that a temporary space-tracking facility proposed at the islands to support India’s Gaganyaan mission is projected as civilian cooperation but also creates opportunities for sustained engagement and confidence-building between India and Australia. It adds that strategic infrastructure located in geographically sensitive areas can gradually support broader operational familiarity over time.
According to the report, the space-tracking arrangement demonstrates growing mutual confidence between the two countries and provides an additional platform for long-term coordination. It also highlights the increasing use of dual-purpose infrastructure by middle powers in the Indo-Pacific to strengthen strategic cooperation.
The report also links Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Indonesia with India’s wider maritime strategy, stating that Indonesia occupies a significant position in the Indo-Pacific because of key maritime locations including Sabang, Malacca, Sunda and Lombok. It notes that growing cooperation in defence, maritime domain awareness and infrastructure reflects a gradual alignment of strategic interests.
The report concludes that when viewed alongside India’s ongoing work in southern Car Nicobar, the evolving network of strategic positions could extend from the eastern Bay of Bengal to the Malacca-Sunda-Lombok system. According to the assessment, the strategic value lies in the combined effect of distributed access, enhanced maritime visibility and a stronger regional maritime posture.
