The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), spanning from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of Australia, contains around 36 countries and a population of approximately 2.5 billion. The IOR has been a critical crossroads of international trade for centuries and remains so. The security and stability of its shipping lanes and trade routes—passing through the Straits of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, and Malacca, among others—are not only regional issues but issues of global importance.
