(UNI SPECIAL)Upasha KumariNew Delhi, April 9 -- The Indian Navy's hosting of the IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX) TTX 2026 in Kochi marks more than a routine multilateral engagement. It signals the growing centrality of simulation-based strategic diplomacy in shaping maritime governance in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
As security challenges become more diffuse, transnational, and unpredictable, the modalities through which states cooperate are also evolving. Tabletop exercises (TTX), once seen as preparatory tools, are now emerging as sites of diplomacy in their own right.
Unlike traditional naval exercises that depend on costly deployments and kinetic demonstrations of power, TTXs operate in a simulated environment. This allows for wider ...