Tag: Indo-Pacific

This report argues that India’s traditional air defence (AD) architecture—reliant on expensive, centralized missile systems—is becoming obsolete against the proliferating threat of low-cost, autonomous drone swarms. The May 2025 “Operation Sindoor” crisis exposed a critical “cost asymmetry”: expending million-dollar interceptors against disposable $2,000 FPV drones is economically unsustainable, allowing adversaries to easily exhaust India’s magazine depth.

The closed-door roundtable between Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies and Indian experts at CSDR reviewed Indo-Pacific security shifts, major-power rivalry, and implications for regional alignment. It also discussed India-Japan defense cooperation, the Quad’s evolving role, and the increasing influence of the Global South in global governance.

The roundtable discussion will examine how shifting geopolitics—from the Trump–Xi accord to Middle Eastern realignments and a possible Russia–Ukraine ceasefire—are reshaping India’s strategic environment. It will assess implications for ASEAN, Gulf energy, IMEC, and how India balances BRICS+ ambitions with practical security and supply-chain partnerships like the Quad.

This Track 1.5 dialogue brought together Indian and Canadian officials, industry leaders, and experts to explore practical avenues for security and defense cooperation. Discussions focused on Indo-Pacific maritime security, defense-industrial collaboration, dual-use technology development, training exchanges, and opportunities for supply-chain integration aligned with the momentum of the October 2025 joint statement.

The roundtable highlighted how India–US ties are being reshaped by Trump 2.0’s transactional approach, tighter great-power competition, and shifting Indo-Pacific dynamics. While defense and technology cooperation are expanding, renewed pressures on trade, digital policy, and burden-sharing present challenges. India’s task will be balancing alignment with autonomy amid evolving US–China rivalry

Together with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, we hosted the Canada-India Conclave to reflect on the evolving bilateral partnership. With renewed momentum after the 2025 joint statement, the event highlighted opportunities in trade, technology, and innovation, featuring keynote addresses and a panel on strengthening economic resilience and future-focused collaboration.