ABSTRACT
The primary purpose in this chapter is to supply readers with an analytical template for gauging the worth of potential naval stations, and of narrow seas that provide access to and from waters such as the Indian Ocean region. The chapter relies mainly on the writings of sea-power theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan, and in particular on his survey of the strategic features of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. As it turns out, Mahanian geostrategic analysis is a tool useful for appraising maritime theaters far beyond the Americas. The chapter reviews how Mahan sized up candidate positions for naval bases before moving on to his analysis of straits and other narrow seas. It then surveys the Indian Ocean region in general terms before examining the Strait of Malacca, Strait of Hormuz, and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. With any luck, this method of assessing oceans and littoral zones will help seafaring powers with a stake in South Asia devise sound strategy.
