Vessels 'Going Dark' In EEZ: Navy Chief Tripathi On 'Emerging Flash Points' In Indo-Pacific

India’s Chief of the Naval Staff, Dinesh K Tripathi, spoke at the India Foundation International Conference on “India-Japan Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: Enhancing Security and Stability.” He highlighted the Indo-Pacific as a key theatre of “normative contestation,” with drones, mines, and modern technology posing new threats to critical choke points like the Strait of Hormuz. Admiral Tripathi pointed out the sharp rise in deep-sea research, with vessels going ‘dark’ in exclusive economic zones becoming emerging flash points. He also stressed that disruptions to undersea cables affecting Asia-Europe data flows, cyberattacks, and GPS spoofing increase risks, even as maritime cooperation evolves from episodic to persistent presence. Ensuring freedom of navigation, rule adherence, and security of energy imports for nations like India and Japan remains vital amid growing regional competition.