1、POLICY BRIEF|FEBRUARY 2023GEOSTRATEGIC COMPETITION FOR MILITARY BASING IN THE INDIAN OCEAN REGIONISAAC B.KARDON1FOREIGN POLICY AT BROOKINGSExecutive summaryMilitary basing and access across the Indian Ocean region(IOR)is an important and asym-metric object of strategic competition in the contemporar
2、y international security environment.The regions maritime geography and the major powers varied security interests in the theater are shaping the force postures and strategic interac-tions of America,China,India,Australia,France,and Britain as they pursue regional military basing and access objectiv
3、es.China,in particular,is seeking to establish a greater military presence and a more robust operational foothold in the IOR,heightening the United States strategic interest in the region.Americas changing global force posture and the high-end challenges it faces in the western Pacific and Europe ma
4、ke the legacy U.S.basing network in the region ill-suited to meet growing international security demands.Given that the United States shares certain threat perceptions and objectives with key regional maritime democracies and other like-minded partners,Washington should develop deeper security and e