Agalega Island: India’s silent gamechanger in the Indian Ocean

In the theatre of great power competition and regional turbulence, some of the most decisive moves are made quietly—far from the flashbulbs of diplomacy or the visible choreography of conflict. One such move is India's quiet but transformative development of Agalega Island, a remote territory of Mauritius, into a forward-operating military and maritime hub. This investment, strategic in design and geopolitical in consequence, could dramatically shift the balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Its importance is underscored even more now, as tensions with Pakistan resurface following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.

Where Is Agalega, and Why Does It Matter?

Agalega is a pair of islands located roughly 1,050 kilometers north of mainland Mauritius and about 3,400 kilometers southwest of India’s southern tip. At first glance, it’s an obscure spot on the map—home to fewer than 300 residents and palm-lined coastlines. But beneath its idyllic exterior lies India’s next major strategic bastion in the Indian Ocean.

India, under a bilateral agreement with Mauritius, has constructed a 3,000-meter-long airstrip and deep-sea jetty on Agalega—both of which are capable of supporting large military aircraft, including the P-8I Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, and naval warships. The island is now effectively being transformed into a logistics and surveillance base that gives India an unprecedented maritime reach across the southern and western Indian Ocean.

The Maritime Chessboard: Why Agalega Is Critical

The Indian Ocean is the world’s busiest maritime highway, with nearly 80% of the world’s maritime oil trade and over half of global container traffic passing through its key chokepoints—like the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Malacca Strait.

Agalega sits on the outer perimeter of this crucial network, allowing India to:

• Monitor maritime traffic between Africa and Asia

• Track hostile naval activity, including submarines and aircraft carriers

• Ensure safety of undersea cables and shipping lanes

• Conduct anti-piracy, humanitarian, and disaster relief operations

Its location bridges India's western command with Africa, linking to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the east. This completes India’s strategic triangle across the IOR, extending its “Necklace of Diamonds”—India’s answer to China’s “String of Pearls.”

This base also allows the Indian Navy and Air Force to keep a 24x7 watch on Chinese activity, especially near the Mozambique Channel and beyond, where China has invested heavily in ports under the Belt and Road Initiative.

A Gamechanger Amidst India-Pakistan Hostilities

The importance of Agalega is further amplified by renewed tensions with Pakistan. In April 2025, the Pahalgam massacre—a coordinated terrorist attack on Indian civilians, allegedly perpetrated by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba—sparked national outrage and escalated military alert levels along the Line of Control (LoC).

India responded not only by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and mobilizing military assets but also by tightening its maritime security posture. Here, Agalega offers a crucial fallback option, allowing India to project deterrence not just in the Himalayas but across the sea.

For instance, in the event of further escalation or naval aggression, India can:

• Deploy maritime patrol aircraft from Agalega to block or monitor Pakistani naval activity in the Arabian Sea

• Strengthen undersea domain awareness (UDA) to detect Pakistani or Chinese submarines entering strategic waters

• Maintain logistical autonomy for long-range missions without relying solely on mainland bases

It also reduces India’s dependence on bases like Diego Garcia, which are under US control, giving India sovereign operational flexibility.

Why Agalega Matters to India’s Blue Economy and Naval Future

India’s maritime ambitions are no longer limited to defense. The rise of the blue economy, which encompasses shipping, fisheries, renewable ocean energy, and seabed mining, is central to India’s economic future. The Indian government has identified the IOR as a key theatre for trade expansion and security cooperation under the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine.

Agalega enhances:

• Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in southern Indian Ocean waters

• Surveillance over illegal fishing, which threatens both economic and ecological balance

• Monitoring maritime pollution and environmental disasters

• Support for Indian merchant shipping and energy imports

By positioning itself in Agalega, India is ensuring open sea lanes for its economic lifelines while curbing strategic encirclement from rivals like China or state-sponsored piracy from non-state actors operating in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden.

Geopolitical Ripple Effects: India, China, and Beyond

Agalega’s development cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of India’s larger Indian Ocean outreach, which includes:

• Duqm Port in Oman

• Chabahar in Iran

• Assumption Island (talks revived) in Seychelles

• Madagascar and Reunion cooperation with France

These outposts form a defensive and offensive arc, allowing India to play the role of a “net security provider” in the region, in close coordination with QUAD allies—especially the United States, Australia, and Japan.

Moreover, with the increasing presence of the PLA Navy (PLAN) in the IOR, including a base in Djibouti and visits to Gwadar in Pakistan, Agalega provides a counterweight. It enables New Delhi to engage in domain awareness sharing, naval drills, and emergency logistics with its allies—without having to call in favors during a crisis.

Criticism, Secrecy, and Sovereignty

Some critics have questioned the opacity of the Agalega agreement with Mauritius. Local Mauritian civil society activists have raised concerns about loss of sovereignty, ecological impact, and lack of consultation. Both New Delhi and Port Louis have denied that India is building a permanent military base, labeling it instead as a “logistics facility.”

Nevertheless, the facts on the ground—a 3 km airstrip, jetty, radar domes, and surveillance infrastructure—suggest otherwise. India must now frame a clear narrative, emphasizing mutual benefit, shared security, and economic cooperation to counter misinformation and geopolitical spin, particularly from China and Pakistan.

India’s Maritime Moment

In today’s age of hybrid warfare, maritime competition, and multipolar order, control over strategic islands like Agalega is the new currency of power. For India, it offers:

• A launchpad for regional influence

• A deterrent against hostile navies and terrorist infiltration

• An insurance policy in the event of future conflicts with Pakistan or China

• And a pillar in India’s aspiration to become a leading Indo-Pacific power

At a time when India faces both continental threats from Pakistan and Himalayan standoffs with China, Agalega marks the rise of India’s maritime assertiveness—a clear message that New Delhi is no longer land-locked in its strategic thinking.

The island may be small, but its implications are vast. Agalega is not just a base—it’s India’s gateway to maritime dominance.