5 Big Ideas for the Indian Foreign Ministry’s New Indo-Pacific Desk

On April 14, 2019, reports emerged that India’s Ministry of External Affairs had set up a new Indo-Pacific division. The creation of this desk also signals to India’s partners, particularly the United States, to consider the importance of the western Indian Ocean, currently not included in the U.S. definition of the Indo-Pacific. As the Indo-Pacific concept becomes a more central part of India’s foreign policy, here are five ideas for this Indo-Pacific desk to consider, all of which aim to advance the shared vision of a “free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific” promoted by India, the United States, Japan, and others. As India looks to deepen its engagement with Africa as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy – noting that India’s definition of the Indo-Pacific region extends to the eastern shores of the African coast – India should look to expand this summit even further by inviting participation from the United States. The MEA’s Indo-Pacific desk should coordinate with the Andaman and Nicobar Staff, the Integrated Defense Staff Headquarters, and its political-military counterparts in the United States, France, and Japan to include them in a future edition of “Milan.” Doing so would not only further the exercises theme of “Friendship Across the Seas,” but also transform the exercise into a truly Indo-Pacific one.