NEW DELHI: Chief of Protection Workers (CDS) Normal Anil Chauhan on Sunday mentioned that the worldwide contest for energy, as soon as restricted to land and air dominance, has now prolonged into house, our on-line world and the cognitive area. As quoted by information company ANI, he mentioned that India, being each a continental and maritime energy, holds a predominant place within the Indian Ocean Area (IOR), making it the “first responder and most popular accomplice of alternative” for a lot of nations.Addressing the ninth Army Literature Competition 2025 in Chandigarh, themed ‘Heartland and Rimland Powers in a Multi-domain Warfare and India’, Gen Chauhan mentioned {that a} nation’s geography continues to form its strategic choices. Citing British creator Tim Marshall’s e-book “Prisoners of Geography”, he famous, “A nation’s location and its geographic traits decide its potential to challenge energy and supply strategic choices, no matter its dimension.”Reflecting on India’s post-independence challenges, the CDS mentioned, “If you happen to take a look at the geopolitical occasions of the twentieth century — India’s partition, the approaching of Pakistan, our conflict with China — (these) compelled India to have a continental form of an outlook. However in case you have a take a look at India’s geography, I feel it says that India is each a continental and a maritime energy.”He added, “Over a century, the wrestle for world energy has been about management of geography, the seas, the continents, the skies — and at this time, it extends to house, our on-line world, and the cognitive area.”As per ANI, Gen Chauhan illustrated his level by referring to Djibouti and Singapore, describing them as small nations with vital strategic significance. “Djibouti lies on the Bab el Mandeb and Singapore on the Strait of Malacca — each not solely strategically essential but in addition very important for commerce,” he mentioned. He additionally talked about Indonesia’s key maritime straits — Malacca, Sunda, Lombok, and Ombai-Wetar, which join the Pacific and Indian Oceans, underlining their significance for world commerce routes.By way of his remarks, the CDS emphasised the evolving nature of multi-domain warfare and highlighted India’s rising strategic function within the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean areas.