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India looks to deploy Naval Liaisons
Why it is in news?
- After joining the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as Observer in March, India is looking to post Navy Liaison Officers at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar and also at the European maritime surveillance initiative in the Strait of Hormuz for improved Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).
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- This will be in the overall realm of improving linkages of the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram with other IFCs and become the repository for all maritime data in the IOR.
- The RMFIC functions under the aegis of the IOC, of which India became an Observer in March 2020 along with Japan and the United Nations.
- The IOC is a regional forum in the Southwest Indian Ocean, comprising five nations — Comoros, France (Reunion), Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles.
- China and the European Union (EU) have been Observers in the IOC since 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)
- The Navy set up the IFC-IOR in December 2018 within the premises of the Information Management and Analysis Centre in Gurugram to track maritime movements in the region.
- France became the first country to deploy a LO at the IFC-IOR, followed by the U.S. and several other countries including Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom have announced their intention to post LOs.