'India is not explicitly present and may never put boots on the ground, and yet its presence is felt in how it strengthens the deterrence of Southeast Asian partners through hardware, intel sharing, and strategic diversification. This is not necessarily a case of policy alignment but of strategic convergence [with DC] ...
'... providing a strike capability of 290 km that reaches Scarborough Shoal. India has since also offered extended range [BrahMos] variants of 400 km with future batteries reaching up to the Spratlys when deployed from Palawan.
'... India invited the Philippines to the [IFC-IOR] ... in 2025 ... the two navies are already collaborating on information sharing, maritime training, exchanges, joint search and rescue operations, and more.
'Last year, ... first joint maritime activity inside the Philippine exclusive zone and the South China Sea ... India has also publicly backed Manila’s position in the South China Sea ...'
https://www.heritage.org/global-politics/commentary/how-india-philippines-cooperation-reinforces-americas-interests-the
The Heritage FoundationHow India-Philippines Cooperation Reinforces America’s Interests in the South China SeaWith so much media focus in recent months on the war in Iran, it’s no surprise that Undersecretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby’s speech in Manila received so little coverage. That means very few know what the U.S. and its allies are doing to deter China from launching any hostilities of its own.