Indian Navy: port-sick ducks
MUHAMMAD SAAD
Indian navy had recently carried out an in-house analysis of its operating pattern that revealed that the homesick sailors had been confining themselves for most of the time to their coastline. They rarely showed their presence in vast expanse of Indian Ocean, the area of their stated strategic interest. Indian navy has deduced from the said analysis that the operating pattern belied the navy’s claim of being a ‘blue water navy’ (a navy capable of operating far away from its coasts for prolonged periods without having to come back to harbour again and again for replenishments).
Indian navy thinks that civil nuclear cooperation with the USA would pave way for realisation of India’s long-cherished ambition of establishing itself as the sole master of the Indian Ocean. George K Tanham, in his Indian Strategic Thought, a RAND research paper prepared for the US under-secretary of defence for policy, observes that India wants to ‘Approach world-power status by developing nuclear and missile capabilities, a blue water navy, and a military-industrial complex, all obvious characteristics of the superpowers’ (page vii). Tanham adds ‘Although Kashmir has been a continuing and visible source of serious conflict between the two countries, Indians regard Pakistan’s refusal to accept the primacy of India (hegemony) in the region as the basic issue of contention between the two countries’ (p.33 ibid.). India is convinced that ‘Pakistan has developed a navy that could interfere with Indian access to Middle East oil and other Indian interests in that region’, p. 29 ibid.).
How India views the Indian Ocean. Tanham tells, ‘India sees the Indian Ocean as a vital frontier…Indian admirals remind the government…(p. 41) India would like a 360 degree cordon sanitaire...Indian navy advocates especially fear a Chinese naval presence in the area and, in the more distant future, the possible return of Japanese forces’ (pp. 42-43 ibid.).
Successive Indian-navy chiefs are fond of making tall claims about their force’s capabilities. However, they are sometimes forced to speak the truth under fire of newsmen’s questions. In the past, the Indian navy chief had admitted that the “Navy has not been doing enough open-ocean work”. The in-house analysis indicated that the Indian navy was still far off from implementing its chief’s operational philosophy epitomised by the slogan: “Tacking to the Blue Waters” (‘Tacking’ is a sailing term implying a change in course. For the Navy, it means spending much more time at sea).
The navy chief had claimed, ‘The navy is firmly steering a course to achieve blue-water capability by 2010 with twin battle groups and a fleet of nuclear submarines’. He pointed out, ‘India’s formation of the Andaman and Nicobar tri-services command and long-range deployments to the South China Sea are a tacit response to Beijing’s intrusion into India’s sphere of influence’.
While elaborating how he intends to translate his words into action, the Indian navy chief admitted, ‘Dominance of smaller ships in the naval fleet imposes limitations of reach. Our Navy has to be built around three aircraft carriers, at least 30 destroyers and frigates, 20 submarines and replenishment ships. That will require a major augmentation for the Navy’.
According to critics, the Indian navy chief’s claims of shaping a blue-water navy by year 2010 are meant to pacify popular criticism of navy’s role and to justify the huge amount of national wealth, they poured into the navy. The people have doubts about Indian navy claims that its warships can be put to sea, combat ready in less than 12 hours, and combine both eastern and western fleets in less than 48 hours, an act never witnessed they say.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/august-2006/8/columns5.php
MUHAMMAD SAAD
Indian navy had recently carried out an in-house analysis of its operating pattern that revealed that the homesick sailors had been confining themselves for most of the time to their coastline. They rarely showed their presence in vast expanse of Indian Ocean, the area of their stated strategic interest. Indian navy has deduced from the said analysis that the operating pattern belied the navy’s claim of being a ‘blue water navy’ (a navy capable of operating far away from its coasts for prolonged periods without having to come back to harbour again and again for replenishments).
Indian navy thinks that civil nuclear cooperation with the USA would pave way for realisation of India’s long-cherished ambition of establishing itself as the sole master of the Indian Ocean. George K Tanham, in his Indian Strategic Thought, a RAND research paper prepared for the US under-secretary of defence for policy, observes that India wants to ‘Approach world-power status by developing nuclear and missile capabilities, a blue water navy, and a military-industrial complex, all obvious characteristics of the superpowers’ (page vii). Tanham adds ‘Although Kashmir has been a continuing and visible source of serious conflict between the two countries, Indians regard Pakistan’s refusal to accept the primacy of India (hegemony) in the region as the basic issue of contention between the two countries’ (p.33 ibid.). India is convinced that ‘Pakistan has developed a navy that could interfere with Indian access to Middle East oil and other Indian interests in that region’, p. 29 ibid.).
How India views the Indian Ocean. Tanham tells, ‘India sees the Indian Ocean as a vital frontier…Indian admirals remind the government…(p. 41) India would like a 360 degree cordon sanitaire...Indian navy advocates especially fear a Chinese naval presence in the area and, in the more distant future, the possible return of Japanese forces’ (pp. 42-43 ibid.).
Successive Indian-navy chiefs are fond of making tall claims about their force’s capabilities. However, they are sometimes forced to speak the truth under fire of newsmen’s questions. In the past, the Indian navy chief had admitted that the “Navy has not been doing enough open-ocean work”. The in-house analysis indicated that the Indian navy was still far off from implementing its chief’s operational philosophy epitomised by the slogan: “Tacking to the Blue Waters” (‘Tacking’ is a sailing term implying a change in course. For the Navy, it means spending much more time at sea).
The navy chief had claimed, ‘The navy is firmly steering a course to achieve blue-water capability by 2010 with twin battle groups and a fleet of nuclear submarines’. He pointed out, ‘India’s formation of the Andaman and Nicobar tri-services command and long-range deployments to the South China Sea are a tacit response to Beijing’s intrusion into India’s sphere of influence’.
While elaborating how he intends to translate his words into action, the Indian navy chief admitted, ‘Dominance of smaller ships in the naval fleet imposes limitations of reach. Our Navy has to be built around three aircraft carriers, at least 30 destroyers and frigates, 20 submarines and replenishment ships. That will require a major augmentation for the Navy’.
According to critics, the Indian navy chief’s claims of shaping a blue-water navy by year 2010 are meant to pacify popular criticism of navy’s role and to justify the huge amount of national wealth, they poured into the navy. The people have doubts about Indian navy claims that its warships can be put to sea, combat ready in less than 12 hours, and combine both eastern and western fleets in less than 48 hours, an act never witnessed they say.
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/august-2006/8/columns5.php
