Antony seeks report on M V Pavit running aground

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Coastal security pressures 'sink' blue-water dreams

NEW DELHI: India's coastal security concerns are exacting a heavy toll on its naval 'blue-water' aspirations, maritime diplomacy and operational readiness.

Sources say Navy has been forced to cancel the deployment of its frontline warships to Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic in August-September, which was to include a series of combat exercises with several countries like France, UK and Turkey, due to 'heavy commitments' in the coastal security arena.

Navy did dispatch five of its eastern fleet warships to Vladivostok in Russia earlier this year, with the 'Simbex' exercise with Singaporean Navy and the 'Malabar' one with US warships being conducted on the way. But the western fleet's overseas deployment stands scrapped now.

Even since the 26/11 terror strikes in 2008, operational deployment of warships and surveillance aircraft of both Navy and Coast Guard has seen 'a quantum jump' on both the west and east coasts.

"Warship deployment has gone up by 60-80% and aircraft deployment by 100% for coastal security tasking. In July alone, for instance, there were about 440 ship and 190 aircraft surveillance sorties," said a defence ministry official.

"Moreover, a total of 165 coastal security operations, 54 exercises and 259 awareness campaigns for fishermen have been conducted between January 2009 and June 2011," he added.

This sharp increase in 'predictive utilization rates'' of warships and aircraft for coastal security, as also for anti-piracy operations, is pushing both men as well as machines to 'their very limits'.

"Earlier, a warship was at sea for 15 days in a month, with the remaining time left for maintenance at harbour. Now, it's at sea for 20-25 days. Operational life of ships and aircraft is being consumed at a much faster rate now," admitted an official.

But that does not detract from the fact that even abandoned ships like MT Pavit have managed to breach the three-tier security ring of Navy, Coast Guard and marine police in recent days.

'Physical surveillance' alone by Navy and Coast Guard will not do any longer. 'Electronic surveillance' measures, promised by the government under 'fast-track procedures', are equally critical but are yet to materialize on the ground even three years after 26/11.

Coastal security pressures 'sink' blue-water dreams - The Times of India
 

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