Subhechcha Ganguly 
To project supremacy in the Indian Ocean and counter the rising Chinese naval presence in the area, the Narendra Modi administration has deployed deterrence capabilities in the island nations of the Andamans and Nicobar Islands. While the armed forces and national security planners are coy about the tri-service AN Command’s deterrence capabilities, India is keeping an eye on Chinese-backed activity in the Coco Islands of Myanmar and at Ream National Park in Cambodia, which is close to a naval base in the province of Sihanoukville. Apart from its first overseas military station in the east African nation of Djibouti, Beijing’s strategic imprint can be seen in the ports of Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Gwadar in Balochistan, Chah Bahar in Iran, and Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates.
According to intelligence reports, the Myanmar junta expanded and lengthened the runway at Coco Island strip from 1300 to 2300 metres in 2021–2022, built sheds, and operated supply planes from the strip for the island, which is only 55 kilometres north of the Indian AN islands. Chinese are not permanently residing on the Coco Islands, but they are frequently spotted on the isolated outpost where 150 Myanmar men are stationed.
Although there is no proof to the contrary, India anticipates the development of an air defence and air surveillance capacity on Coco’s southern tip, where work is currently being done to clear land and build a causeway that will connect it to the next island. Ream National Park, which the US fears will be the second Chinese overseas facility after Djibouti and the first PLA base in the Indo-Pacific, is likely to have a similar air defence and air surveillance capacity with an enlarged radar system. The PLA and Cambodian Navy conducted their first combined naval drill in Cambodian waters last month, making Cambodia and Laos the closest Chinese allies in ASEAN.While Myanmar and Cambodia both contest their inclusion in the Chinese strategy.The Indian security planners have accelerated the military infrastructure development at both the AN Islands and Lakshadweep Islands in light of China’s growing presence in the Indo-Pacific region and the regular appearance of its strategic boats there. While construction of Campbell Bay is pushed forward in Great Nicobar Island, deterrence capabilities based on land and at sea have been deployed. To meet any military challenge, similar deterrence capabilities have been placed in Andhra Pradesh on the east coast of India by the Indian Navy’s eastern command. In the future, the AN Command will serve as the Indian military’s first line of defence and be a component of a theatre command with a focus on China’s rise.
