Pakistan and China will remain the focus of India’s traditional security concerns in the Asia-Pacific region, a report released ahead of an international defense dialogue to be held in Singapore this weekend has said. The report says that if any “major conventional war” occurs in the future, it will be limited to the local level. It is mentioned that till now India has conducted ‘surgical strikes’ only against Pakistan.

The report has been published by the London-based ‘International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS). According to the IISS’s ‘Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment’ report dated May 28, India is preparing its military for large-scale conventional warfare operations due to long-running border disputes with both its nuclear-armed neighbours. The report said that India’s border conflicts with China have been of relatively conventional nature and there is little possibility of them reaching a situation as serious as the India-Pakistan conflicts.

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India’s biggest challenge is China-Pak’s ‘hybrid war’
The 150-page report says, “In such a situation, India will continue to have militarized borders with both China and Pakistan.” It says that India is unlikely to play an active military role in the broader Asia-Pacific region beyond the Indian Ocean region and would like to avoid getting drawn into the US-China conflict over Taiwan. According to the report, the biggest challenge for India is the “hybrid” situation of “no war, no peace” with China and Pakistan. It says that the experiences of many wars have shaped India’s military strategy, especially with respect to Pakistan. New Delhi’s political will has also played an important role, the report said, changing the “acceptable military response” to cross-border terrorism.

Strategy changed due to surgical strike
The report said that the ‘surgical strikes’ carried out against Pakistan in 2016, 2019 and 2025 indicate how the functioning of military operations can shape strategic principles. The report also mentions the special attention given to Taiwan in the military strategies of America and China. It said the US wants Taiwan’s permanent defense and resilience, while China envisions a deterrence strategy that can keep the US and its allies at bay.

Strait of Malacca, Shangri-La Dialogue
The report also analyzes other important geopolitical centers of the Indian Ocean region such as the Strait of Malacca from the perspective of strategic competition and interests of island countries. It said that with China’s increasing military capability in the region, competition regarding military presence is also increasing. Many international defense representatives, including defense ministers, are likely to participate in the annual Shangri-La Dialogue to be held here from May 29 to 31.
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