The Indian Navy plans to officially inaugurate a new "strategically important" base in the Lakshadweep Islands, near the Maldives, on June 6. A number of Indians** have mentioned that the main purpose of India's base is to strengthen its surveillance capabilities in the region in the context of the Maldives' "growing proximity to China" and the expulsion of Indian troops.
India Today said on the 4th that the Lakshadweep Islands are located about 130 kilometers north of the Maldives, and the Indian Navy has previously built a base on Kavaratti Island in the Lakshadweep Islands, but the new naval base on Minikoi, the southernmost part of the archipelago, is about 258 kilometers closer to the Maldives than the old base. According to the plan, the new base will be inaugurated on March 6, and an existing small detachment will become a "separate naval force" by that time. The Indian Navy's statement said the base would help the Indian Navy strengthen anti-piracy and anti-narcotics operations, as part of its policy of "gradually strengthening the security infrastructure on strategic islands."
Agence France-Presse noted that India's announcement of the new base came just days before the Maldives demanded the withdrawal of Indian troops. "Relations between India and the Maldives continue to deteriorate after the pro-China Maldives ** Muiz promised to expel the Indian army and win the election last year during the election campaign," the report said. The Indian military units currently stationed in the Maldives mainly operate and maintain 2 *** and 1 twin-engine propeller fixed-wing aircraft donated by India to the Maldives, which are "known to be used for emergency medical evacuation and search and rescue missions from remote islands". According to the agreement between India and the Maldives, the first Indian troops in the Maldives will leave the country by March 10 and the rest will be evacuated within two months. In a statement, the Indian Navy stressed that India is suspicious of China's growing presence in the Maldives, an archipelagic nation that straddles major international routes from east to west, and that the new base will expand New Delhi's "operational surveillance" of the area.
According to reports, the Lakshadweep archipelago consists of 36 islands, and the distance from the coastal port city of Cochin in the Indian state of Kerala is about 220 kilometers to 440 kilometers. Among them, Minikoi Island is the southernmost island of the Lakshadweep archipelago, less than 400 kilometers away from Cochin in a straight line, with an area of 48 square kilometers, about 130 kilometers from the northernmost island of the Maldives. According to the Times of India, in the future, the base will develop into a significant military center and is expected to undergo subsequent upgrades to take off and land fighter jets. With the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives, the opening of the new base marks a realignment of India's geopolitical strategy "in response to the turn of the island nation (Maldives) towards China."
However, some analysts believe that the role of India's new military base on Miniköy Island is not only to "demonstrate" to the Maldives politically, but also to strengthen the Indian military's ability to monitor the sea and air of the surrounding important shipping lanes. The island's proximity to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean, the Nine Degrees Strait, and the presence of patrol aircraft and ships from the base will give the Indian military a special advantage in keeping a close eye on shipping activities and better able to respond quickly during a crisis. India has long feared that the Chinese Navy will strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean. India's Economic Times** said that India has been building a naval facility on the Lakshadweep Islands for a long time, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also visited the Lakshadweep Islands in January. The conversion of a previously constructed temporary facility on Miniköi into a full-fledged naval base demonstrates the Indian Navy's commitment to leveraging India's geographical advantages to further safeguard maritime interests.