The Means to what End?:

: India, Australia and their Navies

Abstract

Geoffrey Till’s recent development of the modern – post-modern naval paradigms intend to allow the categorisation of navies into those which exist for exclusive national statist purposes and others which exist to uphold the international globalised system. As navies are key indicators of strategic behaviour, the Indian and Australian navies’ positions within Till’s paradigms allow us to understand that these two significant players in the Asia-Pacific region are hedging against a return to state-on-state competition, yet not neglecting their responsibilities as participants and benefactors of the post-modern international system. This dissertation attempts an understanding of New Delhi’s and Canberra’s grand strategies. Their respective maritime strategies and capabilities are surveyed to identify harmonies and dissonances within and between the two states. The dissertation concludes that despite differences in geostrategic conditions, culture, military and economic potential, both states adhere to a hedging strategy over the durability of the ‘long-peace’ and do not want to be caught unprepared for a state-on-state conflict.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	Alistair Shepherd (Supervisor)