Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, Indonesia has posted its first Liaison Officer to the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), a multinational maritime domain awareness centre hosted by the Navy in Gurugram.
The IFC-IOR brings together representatives from several countries to share data on commercial shipping, and develop a common maritime picture for partner navies.
Modi on Monday departed on a three-nation tour, beginning with Indonesia. The Indonesian Liaison Officer was posted to the IFC-IOR on July 1, sources said.
During the visit, announcements are likely to centre on training, alongside expected discussions on Jakarta getting additional BrahMos missiles.
India will offer training slots for Indonesian military cadets at the National Defence Academy in Pune, as well as mid-career courses at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
The posting of an Indonesian Liaison Officer to the IFC-IOR is expected to further strengthen maritime domain awareness and operational cooperation. The centre now hosts Liaison Officers from 17 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, the Maldives, Mauritius, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
While the IFC-IOR is linked to 28 countries, the physical presence of Liaison Officers represents a deeper level of operational integration.
They work directly alongside Navy personnel at the Gurugram facility to exchange information and enhance maritime domain awareness.
Established by the Navy in December 2018, the IFC-IOR is a regional maritime security hub that monitors, tracks and helps secure one of the world’s busiest and most strategically important maritime trade corridors.
The centre aggregates real-time shipping data from multinational coastal radar networks, satellite feeds and partner agencies to create a unified map of commercial maritime traffic. Using advanced analytics, it identifies anomalies and monitors threats such as piracy, smuggling, human trafficking, contraband movement, and illegal fishing.
