SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Navy is strengthening maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region through a $125 million initiative designed to enhance India's maritime domain awareness. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific is playing a central role in the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) program, a flagship effort under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy.
 
The IPMDA initiative aims to improve maritime awareness and regional coordination by providing partner nations with unclassified maritime situational awareness tools and data. A core component of the case is SeaVision, a U.S. Navy-managed platform that aggregates Automatic Identification System (AIS) and other vessel tracking data to enable secure, real-time maritime monitoring, according to Robert Lendvay, NIWC Pacific Foreign Military Sales Case Manager supporting the Navy’s International C4I Integration Program Office [PMW 740]. Lendvay has spearheaded the effort since January 2023. The initiative also integrates commercial satellite-based radio frequency (RF) detection capabilities from HawkEye 360, enabling partner nations to detect and monitor vessels operating without transponders. Together, these tools create a multi-layered operational picture that significantly enhances India’s ability to monitor its maritime domain and contribute to regional security objectives.
 
The program's inception began with a foundational meeting at NIWC Pacific in San Diego, where Lendvay, alongside the NIWC Pacific SeaVision Technical Assistance Field Team, hosted a high-level delegation from the Indian Navy and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. This engagement was instrumental in defining the initial operational and technical requirements that laid the groundwork for the largest IPMDA-related case to date.
 
Over the course of two years, Lendvay led detailed coordination efforts across the U.S. Department of State, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Navy International Programs Office, and other interagency partners to ensure the program met U.S. releasability standards and foreign disclosure policies.
 
"These collaborative efforts ultimately resulted in the successful completion of the Congressional Notification process - a critical milestone," said Lendvay. "This authorizes the U.S. Government to offer new and improved capabilities to India in support of IPMDA. This approval not only affirms the strategic trust placed in India as a key Indo-Pacific partner but also reflects the growing defense ties between members of the Quad alliance: the United States, Japan, Australia, and India."
 
"This initiative is a testament to the strong partnership between the U.S. and India and our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific," said John Smith, a NIWC Pacific employee. "By providing India with advanced maritime domain awareness tools, we are enhancing their ability to monitor their maritime domain and contribute to regional security."
 
NIWC Pacific and PMW 740 have played a central role in managing the program’s development, working closely with commercial vendors and interagency stakeholders to define a technically sound and contractually executable acquisition strategy. The IPMDA initiative strengthens the region’s ability to detect and deter threats and reinforces collective maritime security objectives.