Manoj Ambat

The Indian Ocean is becoming one of the world's most important strategic theatres. As India assumes the IONS chairmanship, expands IOS SAGAR and strengthens regional maritime cooperation, a larger question is emerging: can the Indian Navy evolve from a powerful regional fleet into a dependable first responder for the Indian Ocean?

Thousands of kilometres beneath the world's oceans lies a hidden network of infrastructure connecting nations, economies and digital systems. Undersea cables have become a new strategic vulnerability, bringing seabed warfare, submarine operations, grey-zone conflict and maritime security into the centre of great-power competition. This episode examines why the invisible battlefield beneath the ocean matters — and what it means for NATO, Russia and India.

The Arsenal Ship was once dismissed as an impractical naval concept. But as long-range missiles, drones and networked warfare reshape maritime combat, its central idea—putting enormous firepower into specialized, networked platforms—may be returning.