New Delhi, Aug. 17 -- Discussions concerning the security architecture of the Bay of Bengal are almost exclusively dominated by a fixation on traditional chokepoints, naval base competition, and freedom of navigation. Strategic analysts continually map the movements of submarines, track port infrastructure developments under foreign banners, and evaluate maritime lanes carrying West Asian hydrocarbons toward East Asia. Yet, this conventional security lens completely overlooks a far more insidious and quiet vulnerability unfolding beneath the surface.

As global industrial economies accelerate their transition toward renewable energy and advanced manufacturing, the true battleground of the twenty-first century is shifting toward critical s...