ANDAMAN and NICOBAR Island
Regarded as a strategic goldmine positioned at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca, it is an isolated chain of islands over 800 miles from India’s mainland. The decision to establish a tri-service military command was made in 2001. What followed was a wanton disregard for building up the military infrastructure. For example, night flights from Port Blair, the capital of A&N, started only in 2015. Permission for a new long-range, ballistic missile test facility on Rutland Island was granted this year after a long delay.

China's growing military footprints in IOA
Anti-piracy patrols by naval ships were followed by nuclear and conventional submarine patrols in 2013 and 2014. Conspicuous port calls were made to Karachi and Colombo. In 2015, China set up its first ‘military logistics supply facility’ in Djibouti. Later, China unlocked its strategic tilt with Pakistan by gaining control of Gwadar Port, agreeing to sell 8 Yuan-class submarines and announcing the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Chinese vessels had made 3 unsuccessful attempts to intrude into A&N’s EEZ despite being warned off. Later a Chinese think-tank espoused Chinese claim for, and disputed India's sovereignty over A&N islands!!

Full blown upgrade of A&N under PM Modi
PM Modi in 2014 started "Neighborhood First” initiative to buttress India's strategic position in the Indian Ocean Region. It was followed logically, by a military build-up of A&N. These included the following:

In 2015-2016:
◙ $1.5 B, 10-yr plan to build A&N infra, incl. doubling naval patrol craft to 32 and army personnel to 6,000.
◙ Deployment of P8-I Poseidon MPA and Israeli-origin unmanned drones
◙ New landing craft and interceptor boats for the Indian Coast Guard
◙ Permanent deployment of guided-missile corvette—INS Karmuk
◙ Installation of sea wall of hydrophones (to detect foreign subs crossings), done jointly by India and Japan.

In 2017:
◙ Deployment of India-origin floating dock
◙ Expansion of a 3,500-meter runway at the Campbell Bay military base in Great Nicobar.

Campbell Bay
Campbell Bay is 300 miles closer to the mouth of Strait of Malaca, so air assets there can better monitor the crucial naval choke-point. The proposed expansion to 6,000-10,000 meter runway would permit large-bodied aircraft like P8-I Poseidon to be hosted at CB. Further upgrade possibilities exist for A&N, namely: to establish major shipping hub, a naval command for hosting aircraft carriers & nuclear submarines, and air-command for hosting Sukhoi-30MKI fighters.

PM Modi has played India's ace card by developing A&N as a military command. A&N is a strategic goldmine but can it stand up to China's military might?