Government plans for basing additional military forces, including facilities for additional warships, aircraft, missile batteries and infantry soldiers at the strategically located Andaman Islands.

Runways at Naval air stations INS Kohassa in Shibpur and INS Baaz in Campbell Bay are being extended to support operations by large aircraft.

Indian strategic commentators are even recommending to permit friendly foreign navies access to the ANI’s military bases.

These islands dominate the Bay of Bengal which contains important sea lines of communication. More than 30 percent of the world’s seaborne trade passes through this narrow region. They comprise 30 per cent of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

These Islands act as a buffer zone between India and rest of the nations present in IOR.