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<PublisherName>ejsss</PublisherName>
<JournalTitle>ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES</JournalTitle>
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<EISSN/>
<Volume-Issue>Volume 7 Issue 2</Volume-Issue>
<PartNumber/>
<IssueTopic>Multidisciplinary</IssueTopic>
<IssueLanguage>English</IssueLanguage>
<Season>Aug-Sep 2026</Season>
<SpecialIssue>N</SpecialIssue>
<SupplementaryIssue>N</SupplementaryIssue>
<IssueOA>Y</IssueOA>
<PubDate>
<Year>2026</Year>
<Month>09</Month>
<Day>30</Day>
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<ArticleType>Strategic Studies</ArticleType>
<ArticleTitle>From Sea Lane Security to Strategic Interoperability: India__ampersandsign#39;s Evolving Strategy toward the Strait of Malacca</ArticleTitle>
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<ArticleLanguage>English</ArticleLanguage>
<ArticleOA>Y</ArticleOA>
<FirstPage>332</FirstPage>
<LastPage>345</LastPage>
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<Author>
<FirstName>Ipsa</FirstName>
<LastName>Sahu</LastName>
<AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage>
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<DOI>10.47362/EJSSS.2026.7205 </DOI>
<Abstract>The Strait of Malacca has become pivotal in the geopolitical competition. As a critical chokepoint for trade and energy imports, it has anchored India__ampersandsignrsquo;s maritime diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region. Over the years, China__ampersandsignrsquo;s Malacca Dilemma has been extensively discussed relative to India__ampersandsignrsquo;s engagement. This paper traces the paradigm shift in India__ampersandsignrsquo;s evolving posture from a narrow focus on sea-lane security in the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC), centred on anti-piracy patrols and surveillance, to a broader strategy of strategic interoperability, characterised by institutionalised partnerships, coordinated exercises, and information-sharing architectures with littoral states. The paper aims to explain the drivers of India__ampersandsign#39;s reorientation to strategic interoperability through a qualitative analysis of official statements and bilateral agreements among regional states. This reorientation is also reflected in the reconstitution of India__ampersandsignrsquo;s maritime role from being a coastal security provider to a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific. Consequently, the paper argues that India__ampersandsignrsquo;s approach has moved away from being a reactive security posture to ensuring security through collaboration. Drawing on India__ampersandsign#39;s participation in the Malacca Strait Patrols dialogue and bilateral logistics agreements, the paper demonstrates how interoperability functions simultaneously as a normative hedge against Chinese presence and as a means of building cooperative regional leadership. The analysis contributes to debates on middle-power maritime strategy where identity and capability of the states are ensured through the navigation safety and security of maritime chokepoints.</Abstract>
<AbstractLanguage>English</AbstractLanguage>
<Keywords>maritime security,littoral states,India,Strait of Malacca,Indo-Pacific,chokepoints</Keywords>
<URLs>
<Abstract>https://www.ejsss.net.in/ubijournal-v1copy/journals/abstract.php?article_id=16392&title=From Sea Lane Security to Strategic Interoperability: India__ampersandsign#39;s Evolving Strategy toward the Strait of Malacca</Abstract>
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<References>
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