The Indo-Pacific region, which houses nearly 60 percent of the world's population, faces both traditional and non-traditional maritime challenges for which India functions as a 'Net Security Provider'.
Traditional challenges include unresolved sovereignty issues, territorial disputes, contradictory positions on international norms, maritime muscle flexing and general militarisation of the region.
Among the non-traditional challenges, are piracy and maritime terrorism.
Any disruption of trade in the region will have an adverse impact not only on the regional but also the global economy. Also, disturbance to peace and stability in this region would adversely affect India's economic growth and aspirations of empowering our masses.
The significance of this region is in terms of conflict, population density, maritime trade routes, availability of natural resources and as the fastest growing economic region in the world.
As far as India's viewpoint was concerned, we are charting a course of economic growth using a Realism, Co-existence, Cooperation and Partnership.
In order to achieve these goals, India will continue to be the 'Net Security Provider' in the Indian Ocean Region and has taken several initiatives like anti-piracy operations, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief and resource-sharing.
There are four aspects to being a net security provider: capacity building (Capacity building refers to the training of foreign forces—both civilian and military), military diplomacy (military visits and exercises), military assistance and direct deployment of forces (to stabilise a situation arising either out of an environmental disaster, trans- national threats, and evacuation of citizens from conflict areas or to protect self-defined national interests).