Indian Navy Developments & Discussions

[Sridhar]

Navy eyes Maldives – Counter to China’s ‘string of pearls’ plan

BY : The Telegraph
A tiny pearl of an island with a former World War II airbase in the Maldives is now the Indian Navy’s strategic object of desire.

Defence minister A.K. Antony’s visit to the Maldives with a high-level team for three days starting tomorrow will not name Gan, or Addu Atoll, where the coral island is located, just south of the equator.​

But the navy wants a permanent presence in Gan for its surveillance aircraft, along with a presence of its ships and other aircraft in both Male, the capital of the Maldives, and Hanimadhoo, in the Haa Dhalu Atoll in the island country’s north, which is barely 20 nautical miles (37km) south of the Indian islands of Minicoy.​

As India and China seek to expand their influence in the Indian Ocean region, territories barely marked on maps are popping up like beacons in the vast blue. Gan, in Addu Atoll, is the latest.​

The Indian delegation is likely to propose building or renovating a hospital in the Maldives. Antony is accompanied by, among others, the director general of the Armed Forces Medical Services, Lieutenant General N.K. Parmar.​

Navy officials agreed that Gan was of “great strategic importance” but were reluctant to describe their idea of a presence there as a “naval base”.​

“It is important for us to station assets there. That does not mean taking it over. In fact, we have flown our aircraft from there. We want to station there now,” a senior official said.​

India does not expect this to happen overnight. Antony is expected to begin an essay in persuasion, with goodies thrown in, and a review of mutual benefits at the discussions tomorrow.​

This is how New Delhi hopes to sell the idea of a listening post in Gan, or Addu, to Male: You have concerns over your environmentally fragile exclusive economic zone and about patrolling and policing your far-flung islands, some of which are uninhabited. And we, the Indian Navy, are the “regional stabilising force” in the Indian Ocean.​

Indian officials will make the point that the navy is, in any case, patrolling waters a mere 15 nautical miles from the Maldives.​

The group of coral islands that make up the Maldives is about 600km from its north to south.​

The Maldives does not have a navy. India will offer to patrol and keep an eye over its territories. For India, the benefit: it gets a listening post that will monitor movement of Chinese vessels as they sail to and from Africa. More than 60 per cent of Chinese oil imports are assessed to be sourced from Africa.​

New Delhi’s military establishment is wary of China’s “string of pearls” strategy — the phrase used to describe the pockets of influence that Beijing wants to dot around India, starting with the port of Gwadar in Pakistan to the port of Hambantota, which China is developing in the southern tip of Sri Lanka, to Myanmarese and Bangladeshi ports in the Bay of Bengal.​

India has over the years tried to develop military bases overseas without great success. Its first has been in Farkhor and Ayni. Ayni is about 10km south of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan on its north.​

Pakistan and China find an Indian military presence in Farkhor, also in Tajikistan, threatening.​

An Indian military presence in Gan — formerly the RAF Gan, so named after the British navy built it for its fleet air arm and then handed it over to the Royal Air Force — means an extension of reach for its navy. The Indian Navy sees its area of responsibility in the ocean covering the space between the Persian Gulf and the Malacca Straits.​

Antony will also be accompanied by defence secretary Pradeep Kumar, director-general of the coast guard, Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, and deputy chief of navy staff, Vice Admiral D.K. Joshi.​

Antony is scheduled to meet Maldives’ President Mohammed Nasheed shortly after landing. In the back-to-back meetings tomorrow, the delegation will talk to officials and ministers in Male and to the Maldives National Defence Force.​

A defence ministry release today said Antony “will also attend the closing session of the India-Maldives Friendship function besides paying a visit to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the most visible symbol of Indo-Maldives cooperation and friendship.”​

India was the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965. In 1988 India’s military launched Operation Cactus to foil a coup attempt in Male. In April 2006, India gifted a fast-attack craft, the INS Tillanchang, to the Maldives

Navy eyes Maldives – Counter to China?s ?string of pearls? plan IDRW.ORG

 

[venom]

Navy set to get three-star officer as COS in WC

New Delhi: The Indian Navy is all set to get a three-star officer as its Chief of Staff in the Western Naval Command.

This upgradation of the post has been made possible after the Navy started implementing the recommendations of Ajai Vikram Singh Committee II which has resulted in the increasing in the Lieutenant General equivalent ranks in the three Services.

"We always wanted to have a Vice Admiral rank officer as the COS of the Western Naval Command and with the increase in the number of vacancies, we will have one in the Mumbai based Western Command," senior naval officers said here today.

A COS is the principal staff officer of the Commander- in-Chief of a Command. Till now, Rear Admirals were holding the office of COS in all the three Naval commands. The Army and the Air Force already have three star officers in the equivalent offices.

The Eastern and the Southern Commands of the Navy will continue to have Rear Admirals as COS for some more time, they said.

"The need for a three star officer as Chief of Staff was being felt for quite some time as the roles and responsibilities of all the commands have expanded over the passage of time," officials said.

With Vice-Admiral Nirmal Verma taking over as the Navy Chief on August 31, a number of changes will take place in the Navy top brass.

Vice Admiral D K Dewan will take over as the new Navy vice-chief once the present incumbent Vice-Admiral R P Suthan retires on August 31. While Vice-Admiral K N Sushil will be the new Southern Command chief, Vice-Admiral Anup Singh will take over the reins of Eastern Command.

Vice-Admiral D K Joshi moves as the new commander of the tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Command, while Vice-Admiral R K Dhowan will be the new Navy deputy chief from November onwards.

Vice-Admiral M P Muralidharan will be the new chief of personnel at the Navy HQs, while Vice-Admiral S K Sinha will be posted to the Integrated Defence Staff HQs as deputy chief (operations).

Rear Admirals Sunil Lamba, R K Pattanaik and P Murugesan will take over as the flag officers commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Area, western fleet and eastern fleet, respectively, in end-August.

Navy set to get three-star officer as COS in WC!

 

[NSG_Blackcats]

Indian Navy Sea Harrier crash​

PANAJI - An Indian Navy Sea Harrier crashed off the Goa coast Friday and the pilot is feared to have been killed, an official said. The plane was on an exercise with a naval ship, the official said, adding that efforts were on to locate the jet.

Link

Repoted By Times Now

 

[redpearl75]

Indian Navy's fighter jet crashes, pilot killed

An Indian Naval fighter aircraft crashed off the Goa coast on Friday, killing the pilot.

"The Indian naval 'Sea Harrier' aircraft, which was on a routine exercise mission, crashed at about 1157 hours," a naval spokesman said.

The single-seater aircraft crashed in the Arabian sea 15 miles away from the shore.

"Lieutenant Commander Saurav Saxena, the pilot of the aircraft lost his life in the incident," the spokesman added.

::When you reach home, tell them that we gave our life today for their tomorrow:: Jai Hind.....

 

[NiketRC]

Sea Harriers don't have any ejection seat ? Loss of pilot is much more bigger then loss of a plane .

 

[RPK]

Are you above the law, high court asks navy - dnaindia.com

Mumbai: Deepak Kumar, 25, and Vijendra Sharma, 24 had trained hard to join the much-coveted marine commandos of the Indian Navy in 2007. In a few months, they were disgracefully shunted out of the force and reduced to mere sailors.

Both were given a summary trial and sentenced to 60 days and 90 days in detention. Thereafter, their ranks were stripped off as divers. And, they went through all this, without knowing what their offense really was.

The two officers moved the Bombay high court seeking a suspension of this order. The high court found out that there was not even a complaint attached to the records.

An affidavit filed by Commander M Subramaniam, commanding officer, INS Abhimanyu--the training hub of the Marcos--stated that the officers were charge-sheeted for striking a superior officer, absence from duty and use of threatening language. However, the court was irked by the affidavit which said, "Neither the Navy Act, 1957 nor the regulations formed there under specifically cater for providing of documents in respect of the summary trial to an accused."

"Are you above the law? You don't follow any rules and regulations?" responded Justice Bilal Nazki. The court has given time to the naval authorities till September 1 to decide whether or not they will withdraw the order removing the two officers. Otherwise, the court will set it aside and order the reinstatement of the Marcos officers.
"Even the British did not do this," justice Nazki had earlier remarked.

Satendra Kumar, advocate for the naval officers, cited two past judgments of the high court that said that it is the constitutional right of a person to know the offenses he is being tried for. At the time of their detention, prior to the summary trial, the two had asked for various documents like the charge sheet and complaints filed against them, but were denied the papers.

"The government of India spends Rs15 lakh on training each marine officer. Such arbitrary stripping of their ranks not only spells doom for their career but also puts the government's expenses down the drain," Kumar said.

 

[RPK]

Navy chief says it is battle ready, coasts are well patrolled

Navy chief says it is battle ready, coasts are well patrolled

Panaji: Indian Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said on Friday the Navy is ready to battle the whole spectrum of low-end terror to nuclear warfare, if required.

We have the capability to exercise the kind of control we want in the region, Mehta, who was on the farewell visit to Goa, told reporters at the INS Hansa base in the port town of Vasco.


He said the naval force is ready to counter the whole spectrum of low-end terror to nuclear warfare in the sea.

Admiral Mehta said that Indian navy is growing and has been a force to reckon with in the continent.

Replying to a question on coastal security after Mumbai attack, Mehta said that the coasts are hundred per cent safe and well patrolled by navy's 140-odd-ship force manned by well trained men in uniform.

"For all practical purpose we are almost an island country. Our maximum trade is through the sea and navy ensures that the waters are safe for the trade", he said.

The naval chief said that the Indian maritime forces can now be dependent on indigenous shipyards to have its fleet requirement fulfilled.

Its a matter of great satisfaction that we have our shipyards building the smallest of the vessels to the largest of aircraft carriers, Mehta added.

Related Stories
Indian Navy fighter aircraft crashes; pilot killedHe said that around 40 ships and submarines are being constructed in the shipyards across the country as also the aircraft carrier.

Admiral Mehta said that as the time passes the ships are getting more complex and technologically advanced.

The navy has need for people who are trained that is why we have shifted naval academy to Ezhimala (Kerala). Every executive officer passing out will be now an engineer with Btech qualification, he said.

 

[RPK]

Outgoing Indian Navy chief to drop anchor in Goa | Sindh Today - Online News

Panaji, Aug 21 (IANS) When Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta retires after 42 years of service on August 31, chances are he will permanently drop anchor in Goa, the state his wife belongs to and where his “roots” are.

Speaking to reporters Friday during his farewell visit to the Goa Naval Area, Mehta said he would like to settle down in Goa “once I get my house in the state ready”. The navy chief is married to the Maria Teresa Mehta, daughter of Goa’s first leader of opposition, the late Jack Sequeira.

“As you may know, I have my roots here too. We hope to come back to Goa as soon as we can. As soon as we have a place to stay,” a jovial Sureesh Mehta said, even quipping to a journalist that he would settle down in Goa, provided he was invited by the media to do so.

Marriage aside, Goa has often been the official port-of-call for the outgoing admiral, who was commissioned in the Indian Navy in July 1967. He commanded the 551 Naval Air Squadron and served as the Flag Officer (Goa Area) and Flag Officer (Naval Aviation).

As Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Mumbai-based Western Fleet, Mehta was involved in Operation Parakram post the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack, when the fleet demonstrated “naval flexibility in support of national aims and stood poised to seal off Karachi and blockade the Pakistani coast”.

As Assistant Controller (Warship Production and Acquisition) and Assistant Controller (Carrier Projects) at Naval Headquarters, Mehta initiated wide-ranging initiatives to revitalize the naval fleet to prepare it for blue-water operations in the 21st century.

“Currently the Indian Navy has a fleet of 140 ships, both small and big. We have the capability to assert the control we want in our sphere of influence and face threats across the spectrum, from terror threats to nuclear warfare,” Mehta told reporters.

Terming the Indian Navy a “builder’s navy”, Mehta said that currently 40 ships and submarines were in the process of being built at home and abroad. These included an indigenous aircraft carrier and an indigenous nuclear-powered submarine.

“We are a growing navy and we are technologically well advanced,” he noted, adding that henceforth a B.Tech degree would be a pre-requisite for all officers aspiring for the executive branch.

Mehta lamented that India, despite its 7,500-km coastline, was still considered a continental rather than a maritime power.

“In the 21st century, the destiny of the world will be decided in the Indian Ocean,” Mehta said, emphasizing on the strategic importance of the Indian Navy.

 

[RPK]

China Navy is larger but larger does not mean 'better': Admiral Mehta- Hindustan Times

Nearly a fortnight after he admitted that China’s Navy is “much larger” than that with India, Naval Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta on day downplayed the significance of his remarks saying “larger does not mean better.”

“Instead of taking one line, look at the full thing. The context in which I had said was ‘Yes´ they (China) have much larger Navy. Larger does not mean it is better,” Admiral Mehta said on board ‘INS Tabar’ here.

“It’s not like they have 10 ships and I will have 10 ships. May be I have ships which can do a better job than someone else’s. So, I had said that we need to get smarter, rather than working up on increasing the strength and numbers to match with some one,” said Mehta, who retires this month.

At a public function in New Delhi on August 10, Mehta had said India had neither the capability nor the intention to match China force for force.

On Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement that there was a terror threat to India, Mehta said, “No doubt, coast is vulnerable. Adequate measures have been taken to ensure safety.”

In the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack, a joint operation centre has been set up in the metropolis, the Naval chief said.

“The centre has got representatives working in the maritime domain. It also includes Coast Guard, Customs and police officials.”

“We will soon have a big aircraft for maritime domain awareness in Indian Ocean,” he said, adding “a network centric operation for better co-ordination and to obtain updated information will be set up soon. It would help to tackle any threat.”

 

[RPK]

In murky waters

THE Indian Navy has rushed in where the United States Navy fears to tread. In the first week of August, Indian Navy personnel seized and boarded a North Korean cargo ship, mv San, off the Andaman coast on the suspicion that it might be carrying nuclear material. This is the first time a North Korean ship has been detained under sanctions adopted by the United Nations Security Council Resolution in June. The resolution was adopted after North Korea conducted a round of nuclear tests and test-fired missiles this year.

The U.S. Navy, on the other hand, did not dare board the North Korean ship, mv Kang Nam 1, suspected of carrying “banned cargo”, despite trailing it in the Pacific Ocean for around three weeks in the middle of the year. North Korea had warned that such a move would be tantamount to a declaration of war. The job of interdiction of North Korean ships seems to have been subcontracted by the U.S. to willing third countries.

Russia and China, along with many other countries in the region, have been quite lukewarm in their support of the U.S.-initiated sanctions against North Korea, particularly on the question of interdicting its ships on the high seas. They resisted a binding resolution on the use of force as they did not want U.S. ships prowling their neighbourhood on the pretext of interdicting ships carrying suspicious cargo to or from North Korea.

Moscow and Beijing are against Washington acting unilaterally to interdict ships. They prefer U.N.-flagged ships carrying out the Security Council-mandated interdictions/inspections on the high seas. And that too, only after getting actionable information collated by international experts.

The North Korean ship intercepted by the Indian Navy was carrying 16,000 tonnes of sugar bound for West Asia. According to reports, the unarmed crew protested when Indian Navy personnel boarded and searched the ship for “nuclear material or fuel”. A senior police officer in Port Blair told the media that a preliminary investigation by a team of Indian nuclear scientists had failed to detect any radioactive material on board.

However, a couple of days before the ship was searched, sections of the Indian media carried tendentious stories, apparently routed through the Western media, about North Korea helping Myanmar build a nuclear reactor. The interdiction of the ship has been hailed in the Western media as an illustration of the “international noose” tightening around North Korea.

Defending the action, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told the media that the ship had strayed into Indian waters. He said it “had no business being there”. The Law of the Sea, however, clearly states that all ships have the right of “innocent passage” through a country’s territorial waters. Forcibly boarding a North Korean ship is an infringement of the country’s sovereignty. Many legal experts say that it is almost tantamount to a declaration of war.

MARITIME INTERDICTION

It is well known that the top brass of the Indian Navy have been keen to team up with the U.S. Navy to jointly patrol busy sea lanes such as the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Hormuz. They are particularly keen to join the U.S.-sponsored Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The former Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash said in 2005 that “India’s status in world affairs warrants that we should be one of the core countries” to join the PSI.

The Indian Navy has been practising maritime interdiction and counter-terrorism manoeuvres with the U.S. Navy for many years. India and the U.S. have also finalised a Maritime Cooperation Framework (MCF) to enhance maritime security. India has provided port facilities for U.S. forces engaged in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Admiral Mike Mullen, now the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a visit to India in 2007, broached the “thousand ship navy” (TSN) concept. The idea is for ships of like-minded countries to get together to enhance security on the high seas. He then said that there was “a very positive response on the TSN from the Indian Navy”.

The TSN in essence is a toned-down version of the controversial PSI. The origin of the PSI can be traced to the interception of another North Korean ship in 2002. After U.S. intelligence notified Spain, a close ally, about the ship moving towards Yemen, personnel of the Spanish Navy boarded the ship, which was carrying missile parts for the Republic of Yemen. It was released along with the cargo following protests by the Yemeni government.


The creation of the PSI was announced at the 2003 G8 Summit in Krakow, Poland. Its purported goal is to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction through maritime routes. The George W. Bush administration chose not to aggressively push the membership of the PSI. Other nations were asked to participate in the PSI on a case-by-case basis, depending on their capability to make specific contributions to a particular interdiction effort. India is obviously helping out on a case-by-case basis.

The Indian Navy’s action against the North Korean ship comes at a time when the Barack Obama administration itself is shifting gears on its Korea policy. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has just returned home from a high-profile visit to Pyongyang. He met with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il for three hours. Accompanying Clinton were old Korea hands in the U.S. State Department. In the last days of the Clinton administration, Washington was on the verge of establishing diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. Clinton’s Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, made an official visit to the country in late 1999.

INDIA AND NORTH KOREA

India has had full diplomatic relations with North Korea since Independence. North Korea may be currently in dire economic straits and politically isolated. What it needs is a helping hand to overcome its problems, much of them resulting from decades of American hostility. Countries such as India should help in defusing the tense situation in the Korean peninsula instead of adding fuel to the fire.

The Indian action also violates the spirit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which has called for a peaceful resolution of the Korean conflict. Last year, at the behest of the U.S., India denied overflight facilities to a North Korean plane coming in from Iran. During the National Democratic Alliance regime, the Indian Navy interdicted a North Korean ship, allegedly carrying missile parts for Pakistan, off the Gujarat coast in 1999.

Why did the Indian Navy indulge in this act of bravado on the high seas? Was the Indian government trying to score brownie points in Washington? One of the important goals of the PSI is to make India the regional policeman working on behalf of the U.S.

Bush administration officials had made it clear that the main thrust of the PSI was against North Korea and Iran, which were part of the President’s “axis of evil”. The PSI, according to most experts, is in contravention of the Law of the Sea. The PSI gives signatories the right to interdict ships merely on the suspicion that they may be carrying suspicious materials on the high seas. Under the PSI, even ships carrying fertilizers can be intercepted on the grounds that the cargo can be used to make weapons of mass destruction. Russia and China are among the states that have said the PSI is an attempt to substitute interdictions for established multilateral treaties and is tailored to isolate specific states such as North Korea and Iran.

The latest country to join the PSI is South Korea, which signed up only this year after North Korea conducted a round of nuclear and missile tests. Relations between the two neighbours had thawed considerably in the last 10 years. But the right-wing government in South Korea has abandoned the “sunshine policy” of engaging with North Korea.

The previous South Korean government also shared the views of countries such as China, which believed that forcibly boarding a North Korean ship at sea could spark a military clash that could even escalate into a full-fledged war. After the latest U.N. Security Council resolution tightening the sanctions against North Korea was adopted, many commentators in the region warned that the move was fraught with danger. Good sense seems to be prevailing in Washington and Pyongyang after Clinton’s visit. There are indications that the six-party talks to resolve the crisis in the Korean peninsula will be resuming soon.

Domestic political pressure has so far kept New Delhi from formally joining the PSI. The Indian government has, however, admitted that Indian officials attended a recent meeting of the PSI. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told the Rajya Sabha in the third week of July that the U.S. “had shared with us the details and rationale of the PSI”. The Minister said there was no decision taken by the government to join the PSI.

Pranab Mukherjee, as Defence Minister in the previous government, stated in January 2005 that proliferation through sea routes was one of the “biggest problems” and in this context, initiatives such as the PSI would “need to be examined in greater detail”. The “New Framework for the U.S.-India Defence Relationship” signed in June 2005 specifically states that among other things the two countries will collaborate “to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.

 

[Sridhar]

Navy grounds Sea Harrier fleet after crash

BY : TOI
Navy has grounded its Sea Harrier fighters, which operate from the country’s solitary aircraft carrier INS Viraat, as a precautionary

measure after one of the jump-jets crashed last Friday.
Sources said the Sea Harrier fleet, which is down to just eight single-seat fighters and three twin-seater trainers now, will undergo systematic checks to ascertain whether a “technical defect” caused the crash off [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Goa[/COLOR][/COLOR], which killed the pilot, Lt-Commander Saurabh Chandra Saxena.
Apart from the acute shortfall in the number of fighters to operate from the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, the worry is that the Sea Harrier-IN 622 which crashed was a newly-upgraded one.
Though Navy is conducting a “board of inquiry” into the mishap, the absence of a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recording system on the ill-fated fighter will make the probe all the more difficult.
From 1983 onwards, Navy had inducted 30 British-origin Sea Harriers, which take off from the angled ski-jump on INS Viraat and land vertically on its deck, but has lost over half of them in accidents.
The remaining underwent “a limited upgrade” in a Rs 477-crore project, which includes fitting of Israeli Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode fire control radars and [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Derby[/COLOR][/COLOR] beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
So, even as the 50-year-old INS Viraat is finally getting ready to become operational for at least five years more after an 18-month life-extension refit, it is fast running out of jets to operate from its deck.
This clearly spells trouble for Navy, which has been crying hoarse for several years now that it wants at least two aircraft carriers to protect India’s strategic interests.
But successive governments have miserably failed to take decisions in time. The 44,570-tonne Admiral Gorshkov, undergoing a refit at the Sevmash Shipyard in North [COLOR=blue ! important][COLOR=blue ! important]Russia[/COLOR][/COLOR]

, for instance, will be available only by 2013. The 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), being built at Cochin Shipyard, will also be ready only by 2015-2016.
Navy, of course, will soon start getting the 16 MiG-29Ks contracted in the original $1.5-billion Gorshkov package deal signed with Russia in January 2004, under which the carrier refit was pegged at $974 million.
India and Russia, however, are still enmeshed in renegotiating Gorshkov’s final refit cost, with Moscow demanding as much as $2.9 billion and India keen on shelling out around $2.2 billion.
The acquisition of another 29 MiG-29Ks for around Rs 5,380 crore is also on the cards, especially since both Gorshkov and IAC will require these fighters when they are ready to enter service.


Navy grounds Sea Harrier fleet after crash IDRW.ORG

 

[Om3357]

There are always some loop-holes in the defence and especially in the recent attacks in which the terrorists came via sea route, they seemed all the more vulnerable. Now, despite these claims being made by the top officials of the armed forces, the expertise level is not optimal to which such attacks in which terrorists come in the open, armed and manage to sneak into our homes can be avoided in future.

 

[RPK]

Why we should heed navy chief's warning on China : Rediff.com news

Outgoing Chief of Naval Staff and Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, drew a lot of criticism recently when he suggested that India neither has the 'capability nor the intention' to match China's military strength 'force for force.'
But he was merely stating the obvious ground reality given that China's GDP is more than thrice that of India and India's annual defence expenditure is less than half of China's. Much of the criticism was unwarranted as Admiral Mehta was probably trying to wake the Indian political class out of its slumber by forcing it to think more clearly about the implications of China's rise for India.

His was a warning about China which is rapidly moving towards the consolidation of its national power and if India does not move proactively it will find it almost impossible to catch up with China.

Towards this end, he suggested that India not only has to achieve higher rates of economic growth but it also needs to build ties with other major global powers and undertake significant reforms in the defence sector.

These steps are necessary as it is clear that if India has to protect its national interests, it will have to challenge China's growing might in its vicinity.

One should look at the euphoria in India surrounding the launch of INS Arihant [ Images ] in this context. Though that euphoria is not entirely unwarranted as decades of investment, India finally has the ability to indigenously build and operate a nuclear-powered submarine, a feat accomplished by only five other countries, it should not blind India to the fact that it has miles to go before it can catch up with China, which has made some significant advances in the waters surrounding India.

Just a few months back China's growing naval capability was on full display when it paraded its nuclear powered submarines for the first time as part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army.

Gone is the reticence of the yore when China was not ready to even admit that it had such capabilities. Chinese commanders are now openly talking about the need for nuclear submarines to safeguard the nation's interests and the Chinese navy, once the weakest of the three services, is now the focus of attention of the military modernisation programme that is being pursued with utmost seriousness.

China's navy is now considered the third-largest in the world behind only the US and Russia [ Images ] and superior to the Indian Navy in both qualitative and quantitative terms. China's navy has traditionally been a coastal force and China has had a continental outlook to security. But with a rise in its economic might since the 1980s, Chinese interests have expanded and have acquired a maritime orientation with an intent to project power into the Indian Ocean.

China is investing far greater resources in the modernisation of its armed forces in general and its navy in particular than India seems either willing to undertake or capable of sustaining at present.

China's increasingly sophisticated submarine fleet could eventually be one of the world's largest and with a rapid accretion in its capabilities, including submarines, ballistic missiles and GPS-blocking technology, some are suggesting that China will increasingly have the capacity to challenge America.

Senior Chinese officials have indicated that China would be ready to build an aircraft carrier by the end of the decade as it is seen as being indispensable to protecting Chinese interests in the oceans. Such an intent to develop carrier capability marks a shift away from devoting the bulk of PLA's modernisation drive to the goal of capturing Taiwan.

With a rise in China's economic and political prowess, there has also been a commensurate growth in its profile in the Indian Ocean region. China is acquiring naval bases along the crucial choke-points in the Indian Ocean not only to serve its economic interests but also to enhance its strategic presence in the region.

China realises that its maritime strength will give it the strategic leverage that it needs to emerge as the regional hegemon and a potential superpower and there is enough evidence to suggest that China is comprehensively building up its maritime power in all dimensions.

It is China's growing dependence on maritime space and resources that is reflected in the Chinese aspiration to expand its influence and to ultimately dominate the strategic environment of the Indian Ocean region. China's growing reliance on bases across the Indian Ocean region is a response to its perceived vulnerability, given the logistical constraints that it faces due to the distance of the Indian Ocean waters from its own area of operation.

Yet, China is consolidating power over the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean with an eye on India, something that comes out clearly in a secret memorandum issued by the director of the general logistic department of the PLA: 'We can no longer accept the Indian Ocean as only an ocean of the Indians... We are taking armed conflicts in the region into account.'

China has deployed its Jin class submarines at a submarine base near Sanya in the southern tip of Hainan island in the South China Sea, raising alarm in India as the base is merely 1,200 nautical miles from the Malacca Strait and will be its closest access point to the Indian Ocean. The base also has an underground facility that can hide the movement of submarines, making them difficult to detect.

The concentration of strategic naval forces at Sanya will further propel China towards a consolidation of its control over the surrounding Indian Ocean region. The presence of access tunnels on the mouth of the deep water base is particularly troubling for India as it will have strategic implications in the Indian Ocean region, allowing China to interdict shipping at the three crucial chokepoints in the Indian Ocean.

As the ability of China's navy to project power in the Indian Ocean region grows, India is likely to feel even more vulnerable despite enjoying distinct geographical advantages in the region.

China's growing naval presence in and around the Indian Ocean region is troubling for India as it restricts India's freedom to manoeuvre in the region. Of particular note is what has been termed as China's 'string of pearls' strategy that has significantly expanded China's strategic depth in India's backyard.

This 'string of pearls' strategy of bases and diplomatic ties include the Gwadar port in Pakistan, naval bases in Myanmar, electronic intelligence gathering facilities on islands in the Bay of Bengal, funding construction of a canal across the Kra Isthmus in Thailand, a military agreement with Cambodia and building up of forces in the South China Sea.

Given that almost 80 per cent of China's oil passes through the Strait of Malacca, it is reluctant to rely on US naval power for unhindered access to energy and so has decided to build up its naval power at 'choke points' along the sea routes from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea.

China is also courting other states in South Asia by building container ports in Bangladesh at Chittagong and in Sri Lanka [ Images ] at Hambantota as well as helping to build a naval base at Marao in the Maldives [ Images ].

Given the immense geographical advantages that Indian enjoys in the Indian Ocean, China will have great difficulty in exerting as much sway in the Indian Ocean as India can. But all the steps that China will take to protect and enhance its interests in the Indian Ocean region will generate apprehensions in India about her real intentions, thereby engendering a classic security dilemma between the two Asian giants.

Tensions are inherent in such an evolving strategic relationship as was underlined in an incident earlier this year when an Indian Kilo class submarine and Chinese warships, on their way to the Gulf of Aden to patrol the pirate-infested waters, reportedly engaged in rounds of manoeuvring as they tried to test for weaknesses in others' sonar system.

The Chinese media reported that its warships forced the Indian submarine to the surface which was strongly denied by the Indian Navy.

Unless managed carefully, the potential for such incidents turning serious in the future remains high, especially as Sino-Indian naval competition is likely to intensify with the Indian and Chinese navies operating far from their shores.

If Admiral Mehta's warning that India is long way off from catching up to China can generate the requisite debate in the Indian political establishment about the rise of China and its implications for Indian strategy, he would have done his bit for the nation.

 

[RPK]

'India can't be indifferent on any global issue': Rediff.com news

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta, who retires from the Indian Navy at the month-end, delivered a powerful speech on 'National Security Challenges' at a conference organised by the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi on Monday.
Not surprisingly, for an admiral known for speaking his mind, it was a speech marked by characteristic candour:

We often hear that our rise to global prominence is inevitable. It is an incontestable fact that the significance of India as a rising power is being widely acknowledged, as has been witnessed by several events in the recent past, the most defining of which has perhaps been the inking of the agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with the United States.

Our growing economic status fuelled by a 300 million strong middle class, the demographic advantage of a burgeoning 'young population', our increasing ventures into high technology areas such as space, and future projections of national growth peg us amongst the world's top five economies by 2020. That is just 11 years away.

The professionalism and military might of the armed forces of India are respected the world over. The very recent launch of our very own nuclear submarine 'Arihant' has also sent out a strong signal of our desire to acquire the appropriate strategic military technology and capability.

Despite our several internal challenges and diversities, we are 'rock solid' as a democratic country, surrounded by an extended periphery of varying instability.

It is therefore not surprising that the role of a 'natural' regional power is expected of us. Our aspirations for inclusion as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and for a greater voice in international diplomacy are a result of these developments.

However, there is a sense that we may not have done adequately rigorous thinking on how to 'manage' our pre-ordained rise to global prominence. With the realisation of our aspirations and greater international recognition will come many more additional responsibilities.

The country cannot afford to be indifferent and non-committal on any regional or global issue -- we must have an objective 'national interest assessment' on all questions of importance.

As military forces of India, we would be expected to function as instruments of peace and stability in this rather fragile environment of the Indian Ocean region. We have to get our 'hands dirty' in addressing common concerns in our respective domains. This will call for increased participation in peace operations, efforts such as anti-piracy as also capacity-building and capability-enhancement of smaller and economically weaker nations which look up to us, for support and security.

We must also be seen far away from our shores, working with friendly nations and shaping perceptions, in furtherance of India's foreign policy. Quite evidently, the navy would lead efforts of military diplomacy, given the medium in which it operates and the distinctive characteristics of its platforms. If we pursue a meaningful foreign policy to advance national objectives -- as we do -- then the military instrument can complement this collective endeavour.

 

[youngindian]

Former navy chief hits back at govt with RTI

Former navy chief hits back at govt with RTI - dnaindia.com


Thursday, August 27, 2009 2:43 IST

New Delhi: Former navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar, who was named by the CBI in the Barak scam, has shown using the Right to Information Act (RTI) that the indigenous Trishul anti-missile system was not ready in 1999, when the Kargil War broke out. This, the admiral said, was the reason why the navy during his tenure had pushed for the Israeli Barak anti-missile system.

The CBI in 2006 named Admiral Kumar, along with Samata Party leaders George Fernandes (who was defence minister in the NDA government in 1999), Jaya Jaitley and RK Jain, and arms dealer Suresh Nanda, as a suspect in the Barak kickbacks case. In naming the five, the CBI had relied on the Tehelka tapes and claims by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) that the indigenous Trishul project was in advance stages of development in 1999.

Through RTI, the admiral has shown that the CBI's FIR in the case might have had elementary mistakes. This raises the question whether the agency went overboard against a military chief, naming him a suspect without any tangible evidence other than a misleading claim by the DRDO which was developing Trishul.

The CBI implied that the navy ignored the Trishul and pushed for Barak in exchange for bribes. The reference to the Tehelka tapes pertained to RK Jain, a close political ally of Fernandes, admitting that he was paid Rs1 crore for pushing the Barak deal.

Admiral Kumar and the navy have been at pains to explain that the CBI's claims about Trishul were humbug and the decision to buy the Israeli anti-missile system was first taken in 1993-94.

Admiral Kumar made the point that during the Kargil conflict, Indian naval ships were sitting ducks against missile attacks. He had appealed to the prime minister, defence minister and others, saying that by naming a military chief in a CBI case for a decision that was taken as part of operational requirements, they were politicising the military.

For months, the ministry of defence and the DRDO stalled Admiral Kumar's RTI queries, citing national security. An appeal with the Central Information Commission forced the DRDO to come clean. The DRDO has now finally admitted that the "Trishul project (naval version) was sanctioned as a staff project in July 1983" and that it was converted "to technology demonstrator" in 2001. A staff project is meant for operational requirements of users, while a technology demonstrator is a mere lab experiment. The DRDO admitted that the project was given several fresh deadlines.

 

[RPK]

National : Navy's Sea Harrier takes to sky 3 days after being grounded : 661049

Panaji , Aug 27 The Indian Navy&aposs Sea Harrier aircraft today took to the skies again after being grounded for almost three days, following a crash of one of its plane in which the pilot was killed.

"Sea Harrier of the Indian Navy took to the skies again this morning off Goa after being thoroughly checked by Naval Air Engineers," Indian Navy&aposs public relation officer, Commander M C Joshi said here.

A single seater Sea Harrier aircraft had crashed off Goa coast on August 21 killing its pilot Lieutenant Commander Saurav Saxena during a routine exercise with Indian Naval ships in the Arabian sea.

The entire fleet was grounded on August 25 to execute a systemic check on these fighter aircraft.

 

[RPK]

Indian Navy poised to be best fighting force: Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma @ The Hindu

Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma, who will take over as Chief of Naval Staff on August 31, said that the Indian Navy will emerge as the best fighting force in the world when everyone in the force performed his/her duty to the best of their ability.

He was addressing the ceremonial parade where Vice Admiral Anup Singh took over from him as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) at the Naval Base here on Thursday.

Vice Admiral Verma said that there was no need for a person to be in a senior position to contribute towards strengthening the force. "You can do your bit to the force in whatever position you are either as a sailor or as an officer. I had started off my career as a cadet midshipman," he said.

He recalled the role played by the operational ships and platforms of the ENC during joint exercises with foreign Navies and during deployments abroad. He felt that the keen enthusiasm shown by the Navies of advanced countries in participating in joint exercises with the Indian Navy was an indication of its growing strength.

Fond farewell

Vice Admiral Verma was given a fond farewell by the officers and men of ENC. A specialist in Communications and Electronic Warfare, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1970 and since than he held various Staff, Operational and Command appointments. He is a graduate of the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, U.K. He also graduated from the U.S. Naval War College.

The new ENC Chief Vice Admiral Anup Singh inspected the ceremonial guard and reviewed platoons of Naval personnel drawn from ships and establishments of ENC. The parade, consisting of 24 platoons, was commanded by Commander Ninad Deshpande. The President’s Colours were also presented during the parade, which was attended by the Navy’s top brass.

 

[RPK]

Anup Singh takes charge as ENC chief - Hyderabad - City - NEWS - The Times of India

VISAKHAPATNAM: Vice-admiral Anup Singh took over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, from Vice-admiral Nirmal Verma at a
ceremonial parade held at the Naval Base here on Thursday.

Vice-admiral Anup Singh inspected the ceremonial guard and reviewed platoons of Naval personnel drawn from various ships and establishments of the Eastern Naval Command. Nirmal Verma was given a fond farewell by the officers and men of ENC. He would take over as the Chief of the Indian Navy on August 31.

 

[Sridhar]

Navy’s Sea Harrier takes to sky 3 days after being grounded

BYTI
Sea Harrier aircraft today took to the skies again after being grounded for almost three days, following a crash of one of its plane in which the pilot was killed.”Sea Harrier of the Indian Navy took to the skies again this morning off Goa after being thoroughly checked by Naval Air Engineers,” Indian Navy&aposs public relation officer, Commander M C Joshi said here. A single seater Sea Harrier aircraft had crashed off Goa coast on August 21 killing its pilot Lieutenant Commander Saurav Saxena during a routine exercise with Indian Naval ships in the Arabian sea. The entire fleet was grounded on August 25 to execute a systemic check on these fighter aircraft.


Navy’s Sea Harrier takes to sky 3 days after being grounded IDRW.ORG

 

[Sridhar]

Cochin Shipyard aircraft carrier launch by 2012: Pallam Raju

BYTI
The aircraft carrier built at the Cochin Shipyard would be launched by 2012, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju said here today.
Following the launch, the aircraft carrier would be operationalised after a certain time lag, he told reporters.
As per the Indian Navy’s perspective maritime plan, the country which has a vast coastline was in dire need of aircraft carriers to protect its economic assets during peace time. It needed at least three aircraft carriers at any given point, out of which only one – INS Viraat was in operation, he said.
The Russia-built Admiral Gorshkov is likely to be inducted by 2012, for which the Indian government is still negotiating.
Cochin Shipyard aircraft carrier launch by 2012: Pallam Raju IDRW.ORG