India, already a vital member of the Quad grouping, has now been put in the running for membership of the ‘Squad’—a loose security collective that includes the Philippines, Australia, Japan, and the United States. The announcement, intended to push back against China’s expanding presence in the South China Sea, was made by General Romeo S. Brawner, Philippines Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

“I will be bringing the issue of India joining the Squad up with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan in an afternoon meeting today,” Brawner told PTI on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue, pointing to China as a shared foe.

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Understanding the ‘Squad’ and Its Mission

The ‘Squad’ was formed as a reaction to growing tensions between the Philippines and China due to disputes over territories. It has been holding combined maritime exercises in the South China Sea since April 2024, with its initial meeting taking place on June 3, 2023. The bloc is seeking to rein in Beijing’s increasing aggressiveness in the region, especially its militarization of artificial islands.

China asserts nearly the entire South China Sea, even though a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling dismissed its claims. With some $3 trillion in trade transiting the region each year, the ‘Squad’ is seeking to defend international maritime rights and curb Chinese expansionism.

China’s Growing Military Footprint

China has pressed on with its military expansion, with a 2.7-km runway, air defense systems, and missile installations at Mischief Reef, Brawner said. China’s navy, the largest in the world, possesses more than 370 warships and submarines, with seven to eight warships on permanent station in the Indian Ocean Region.

The three man-made islands China constructed place it in effective control of the South China Sea,” Brawner continued. “In the future, it is our assessment that they will assume complete control of the South China Sea.”

Strategic Significance of India’s Potential Membership

Experts believe that India’s entry into the ‘Squad’ would strengthen the Indo-Pacific security architecture. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) pointed out that the ‘Squad’s’ emergence does not weaken the Quad but instead enhances regional security through concentrated alignments.

“All that chemistry between the Quad nations is pointed towards having an Indo-Pacific secure and stable. Conversely, one must interpret the Squad keeping in mind the given contests characteristic to the region in the South China Sea,” it said according to an ORF report.

Security analysts suggest that the ‘Squad’ complements other minilateral security arrangements, such as AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) and JAPHUS (Japan-Philippines-US). The grouping could institutionalize its presence through regular joint patrols, intelligence sharing, and military modernization efforts.

Jagannath Panda, director of the Stockholm Centre for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, noted that the ‘Squad’ might be an informalized grouping that coexists with the Quad. “Squad nations are powerful naval powers, with sharp commercial interests in the contested South China Sea to the East China Sea,” he added.

China’s Response: A ‘Sabotage’ Tactic?

China has been a vociferous critic of the ‘Squad’, with its state-owned Global Times calling it a “patched-together Frankenstein” that is responsible for regional instability.

“Such so-called unity is nothing but a sham, constructed on an opportunistic coalition that only serves to further agitate an already charged situation,” the publication contended, adding that dialogue and cooperation—rather than military alliances—are the key to resolving regional conflicts.

Looking Ahead: Will India Join the ‘Squad’?

Although India has not yet officially endorsed membership, its increasing strategic foothold in the Indo-Pacific aligns with the ‘Squad’s’ interest. If New Delhi were to join, the group would quite possibly re-shape regional security dynamics further at China’s expense in the South China Sea.