TOPIC SPONSOR: PACAF/A5I (International Affairs)
"The phrase ‘necklace of diamonds’ was first mentioned by India’s former Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh while speaking at a think tank in August 2011 on ‘India’s Regional Strategic Priorities’. He had argued that “India is doing everything it is supposed to do in terms of protecting its interests. To the doctrine of the String of Pearls, India has its own doctrine, the Necklace of Diamonds. Just as the Chinese are building port facilities, we are tying up naval cooperation with almost all the major powers of the Indian Ocean region.” Even though commentators often use ‘necklace of diamonds’ to describe India’s strategic approach to counter China’s growing influence in the IOR, it has not found any mention in the Government of India’s official discourse."
What, if any, cooperation should occur through other domains through this apparent naval-centric lens? Priority focus is on contributions in the air and space domain.
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Jaydev, Sqn Ldr Anshuman, "Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles for the Indian Air Force," ACSC Elective paper (Evolution of Airpower), 2019, 15 pgs.
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Kitzke, Lt. Col. Nathan, "Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean," RSS Paper, AWC 2023, 9 pgs.