Emerging Technologies and the Future of Warfare: A Strategic Analysis for Naval Power in the Indian Ocean Region
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.5.833Keywords:
Emerging Technologies, Future of Warfare, Multiplexity, Indian Ocean Region, Defence Innovation EcosystemAbstract
The character of warfare is being reshaped by artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and quantum computing at a pace that outstrips the doctrinal and institutional habits of most navies. This paper argues that technological change, geopolitical multiplexity, and institutional inertia together constitute the central strategic problem facing maritime forces in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and Pakistan in particular. Drawing on historical analogy, market data, and defence-innovation scholarship, the paper examines three interlocking dimensions of this problem: the technological imperative driving cognitive superiority, the geopolitical shift from unipolarity to multiplexity, and the institutional shift from capability acquisition to indigenous innovation. The paper concludes that naval power in the twenty-first century will be determined less by tonnage than by the speed of adaptation, and recommends a triple-helix innovation model linking the navy, academia, and industry.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Marriyam Siddique
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