Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)
Why it Matters?
The Indian Navy is hosting the Emerging Leaders Panel Discussion under IONS. It is being conducted in Kochi from 27–28 Aug 2025. It will engage young officers from 18 nations on maritime security, technology, training, and regional cooperation.
What You Should Know?
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) is a voluntary initiative launched by the Indian Navy in 2008.
It seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
It promotes a flow of information between naval professionals to build common understanding and cooperative solutions.
There are 36 littoral states in the Indian Ocean that are grouped into four sub-regions:
South Asia
West Asia
East Africa
South East Asia & Australia
The highest decision-making body is the Conclave of Chiefs (CoC), held biennially.
IONS has 25 member nations and 9 observer nations; China is an observer and Pakistan is a member.