Introduction
A review of its major articles published in the Maldives Security Outlook (MSO) reveals recurring themes that collectively define Maldives’ security outlook: defence cooperation, maritime security, food and energy insecurities, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing threats, climate-related risks, and regional strategic alignments. This reflective analysis aims to build groundwork for the ongoing and future analyses of MSO and encourage critical thinking about understanding the foreign policy and security interests of Maldives.
Defence and Strategic Partnerships
Several articles underscored defence diplomacy as a cornerstone of Maldives’ foreign policy. Analyses such as Maldives–India Defence Cooperation Dialogue and Defence Cooperation Forges Stronger Regional Alliances highlight how bilateral and trilateral exercises – DOSTI, Ekuverin, and Ekatha – strengthen interoperability and trust among regional actors. While interoperability has traditionally been understood as an ability of allied countries to support partners militarily, by having acquired similar operational, equipment, and weapons capabilities. Framing Maldives as interoperable with Australian maritime operations could mean something different from this definition. Maldives’ ability to partner with Australia and act as a military and defence platform in its ocean territory to collect and share information on threats could position the Maldives as an interoperable partner with Australia.
For example, India emerges as a “first responder” and a net security provider under frameworks like SAGAR and MAHASAGAR. At the same time, Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour and its gifting of a Guardian-class patrol boat illustrate extra-regional partnerships that enhance Maldives’ maritime capabilities. These engagements are not transactional; they embed Maldives within a rules-based Indo-Pacific security architecture, balancing sovereignty with cooperation supporting mutual objectives and operational responsibilities at sea.
Maritime Security and Domain Awareness
Maritime security dominated the MSO discourse, reflecting Maldives’ identity as a “large ocean state” with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) exceeding 900,000 km². Articles such as Exercise Dosti: Enhancing Maritime Diplomacy, Tailoring Maritime Security in Maldives: Beyond Dependency, and Navigating Geopolitical Currents explore operational and strategic dimensions of maritime governance. Core issues include piracy and IUU fishing – threats that traverse national boundaries and demand regional collaboration. The emphasis on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), through platforms like the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region and proposals for a National Maritime Information Fusion Centre, signals a shift toward technology-driven security solutions. Integration of big data analytics, as discussed in Connecting the Dots, further illustrates the role of academic platforms in enhancing situational awareness and operational readiness.
Non-Traditional Security: Climate and Environmental Risks
MSO analyses framed climate change as an existential threat, securitising environmental and energy concerns within national security discourse. Articles such as Shaping Energy Security Discourse in Maldives and Tracing Climate-Induced IUU Fishing Patterns link ecological fragility to strategic vulnerabilities. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and erratic weather patterns exacerbate maritime governance challenges and threaten fisheries-based livelihoods. MSO has advocated for climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy transitions, and regional cooperation to mitigate cascading risks. These narratives align with global climate-security frameworks while asserting Maldives’ agency in shaping international norms.
Food Security and Fisheries Protection
Food security, often underrepresented in traditional security paradigms, receives focused attention in Framing Small States’ Food Security and Fisheries Protection. Maldives’ dependence on imported staples and climate-sensitive tuna fisheries creates dual vulnerabilities – i.e., economic and nutritional impacts are important for local communities. The analysis calls for integrating food security into broader security strategies, leveraging regional mechanisms like the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) for surveillance and governance.
Combating IUU fishing emerges as both an economic imperative and a sovereignty concern, reinforcing the nexus between maritime security and food systems. Dealing with IUU fishing involves navigating maritime security operations. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard takes charge of monitoring and surveillance operations at sea, and coordinates apprehension of illegal fishers, mostly foreigners, with the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and other enforcement agencies. Climate change can disrupt the natural fisheries and resources at sea. Bad weather conditions have disrupted the Coast Guard operations. The vulnerabilities caused by climate-induced events are multiplex and affect the limited capabilities of the security agencies.
Regional and Global Strategic Engagements
Limited capability drives Maldives’ interests to cooperate with aid partners. Maldives’ primary focus has been on achieving sustainable development and building a climate-resilient economy. Hence, protecting the country involves more than military-based institutions and policies. The security strategy must involve building national capabilities by navigating national interests through the regional security platforms, explicitly promoting holistic security discourses and practice.
MSO situated Maldives within evolving Indo-Pacific geopolitics, navigating great-power competition while maintaining strategic autonomy. Articles such as China’s Global Security Initiative Through the Maldives’ Lens and Maldives–China Strategic Ties can generate critical thinking about Maldives’ security posture. However, such an article can also examine the opportunities and risks of engaging with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI). As far as Maldives is concerned, engagements with China or Türkiye can complement the country’s development projects with India, Australia, and other Indo-Pacific partners, reflecting a calibrated approach to diversifying security and development partnerships.
The discourse emphasises multilateralism through forums like the Colombo Security Conclave and IORA, advocating inclusive regional architectures to manage militarisation dilemmas and safeguard small-state interests.
Conclusion
MSO’s thematic breadth reflected a holistic understanding of security – i.e., one that transcends conventional military concerns to encompass environmental sustainability, economic resilience, and technological innovation. This vision situates the nation as an active, responsible stakeholder in regional and global security dialogues, leveraging partnerships and academic platforms to balance sovereignty with interdependence. In doing so, Maldives exemplifies how small states can exercise strategic agency amid geopolitical complexity, shaping narratives that integrate survival, development, and security into a unified framework.
Author
Dr Athaulla A Rasheed is the Head of Centre at the Centre for Security and Strategic Studies at The Maldives National University. A former foreign service officer and diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives, Athaulla also holds two PhDs in international and strategic studies, and political science from ANU and the University of Queensland, Australia. He is also the author of 2025 book, ‘Small States Maritime Security: The Indo-Pacific Strategy for Maldives’, published by The Maldives National University.
