The Hindu
With the Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma formally opening INS Baaz,
India’s southernmost naval air station on Tuesday at Cambell Bay in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the country acquired increased ability to mount hawk-like vigil on the vital maritime channel – the Strait of Malacca.
Describing INS Baaz as being “
blessed with a brilliant strategic location’’, Admiral Verma said that the
location at Cambell Bay, overlooking the Strait of Malacca and also dominating the 6 degree channel would provide an eagle’s eye view over the crucial waterways.
The Naval chief said that one of the
primary functions of INS Baaz would be to provide information, based on ‘airborne’ maritime surveillance. “Maritime domain awareness is the key to effective and informed decision making in the maritime arena. Despite numerous advancements in the field of information gathering over sea, airborne surveillance, using aircraft and UAVs, remains invaluable,’’ he said.
Admiral Verma said the commissioning of the naval air station at Campbell Bay was a “
small but significant step’’ towards supplementing India’s maritime capability in the islands of the Andaman and Nicobar group which offer a vital geo-strategic advantage to India.
He said the
economic potential of Andaman and Nicobar islands was remarkable as they were endowed with a vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), accounting for almost 30 per cent of India’s entire EEZ. “These islands also sit astride some of the busiest shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, most carrying strategic cargo for the East Asian economies,’’ he said.
The new base, about 300 nautical miles from Port Blair,
will also include an upgraded airbase, will soon be operating heavier military planes from the Indian Air Force fleet like the just-inducted Hercules C-130J Super Hercules meant for special forces' operations. India already operates naval bases at Port Blair and Car Nicobar in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain. The unique Tri Services Command is also present in Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The government had recently sanctioned numerous steps to fortify infrastructure in the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar chain of Islands with forward operating bases in Kamorta (Nicobar Islands) and Diglipur (Andaman) as well.
Times Of india
NEW DELHI: To keep an eagle eye on the region around the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Navy commissioned its new air station INS Baaz at Campbell Bay on Tuesday.
INS Baaz is the southernmost air station of the Indian armed forces, and overlooks the crucial Malacca Strait while dominating the Six-Degree Channel, and is in keeping with India's overall policy to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean region as well as ensure security of shipping lanes, as reported by TOI earlier.
The archipelago, separated as it is by over 650 nautical miles from our mainland, offers a vital geo-strategic advantage to India. Not only do they provide the nation with a commanding presence in the Bay of bengakl, the islands also serve as our window into East and South-East Asia,'' said Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, after commissioning INS Baaz. INS Baaz, which will initially house Dornier naval surveillance aircraft, is currently equipped to operate light to heavy aircraft capable of short-field operations'' from a runway of about 3,500-feet.
The runway will be progressively lengthened to enable unrestricted operation of all category of aircraft including heavy ones. Apart from countering Chinese moves, the stepped-up military presence in the archipelago will provide a strong security cover to India's 600,000 sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) spread out in this region, which is around 30% of the country's total EEZ of 2.01 million sq km.
The islands host India's first and only regional 'theatre command', with all Army, Navy, IAF and Coast Guard forces under one operational commander, which was created as part of the national security reforms after the 1999 Kargil conflict. But the military force-levels have remained largely static in the tri-Service command since it came into existence in October 2001.
Under the overall island development plan'' now underway, which includes new naval air station at Campbell Bay, the existing runways at Campbell Bay and Shibpur are being extended, while three more (OTR) operational turn around bases for warships are being established in the archipelago. Moreover, new airstrips will come up at Kamorta and Little Andaman, while the existing two main runways at Port Blair and Car Nicobar are also being upgraded. The Army, too, is moving to add another battalion to the 108 Mountain Brigade based there.
New naval base –
To keep an eye on maritime security around the Malacca Straits and to gain strategic supremacy in the area, India will in about a fortnight from now open a new airbase, aptly named as Baaz (Hawk), in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said defence sources.
The new naval base, which will get an upgraded air base too, will soon be operating heavier military planes from the Indian air fleet including the US-made special forces plane, C130Js, that was inducted last year.
INS Baaz will come up at Campbell Bay, India’s southeasternmost fringe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain, which is actually closer to Indonesia than the Indian mainland.
It straddles a strategically key location in the Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal overlooking the mouth of Malacca straits, from across Aceh in Indonesia.
This move by India comes even as the US spelt out its future strategy to focus on the Asia-Pacific in in “rebalancing” its military strategy earlier this year, while American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore last month that the US will base at least 60 percent of its naval assets in the Asia-Pacific region.
Malacca Straits is a key maritime chokepoint that acts as a link between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, connecting East Asia, Australia and the US with Asia and Africa, which are the key oil resources of the world.
At least a quarter of the world’s trade passes through Malacca Straits and more importantly, at least 80 percent of China’s oil requirements pass through this choke point.
India already operates naval bases at Port Blair and Car Nicobar in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain.
It also has at least three air strips at Diglipur in north Andamans, Port Blair, and at Carnic in Nicobar Islands.
The new base will significantly increase India’s strategic reach in the region, considering that Campbell Bay is about 300 nautical miles from Carnic, till now a major forward operating base of the country’s navy in its southeastern fringes.
That’s the distance between Delhi to Bhopal and now India’s navy and air force will be able to launch its operations from that far away deep inside Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
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