INDIAN NAVY TAKES OVER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SECURITY OF THE INDIAN OCEAN BY CARRYING OUT MASSIVE NAVAL DRILLS
By
Colonel Awadhesh Kumar , Veteran Special Forces
Contrary to what Chinese Media and its so called experts have to say , by carrying out naval drills in the Indian Ocean on a massive scale , Indian Navy has shown the world that it is going to ensure the security of this Ocean. This very highly responsible act as demonstrated by India will not only ensure safety and security for all the littoral states in the Indian Ocean Region but will also ensure that all International Laws approved by UN are fully followed in the IOR. All merchant marine passing through IOR will have an absolutely safe passage.
Indian Navy aims to ensure that within a foreseeable future neither any power within the region nor any outside Naval Power is permitted to violate any International laws or any National laws of any of the littoral states within the IOR.
The recent military exercise conducted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was named Defence of A& N . This exercise was on the same lines which have been conducted since last two decades on the Gujarat Coast and aptly named Defence of Gujarat. The Island Defence Exercise was conducted under the aegis of A& N Tri Services Command from 20 Nov to 24 Nov and had elements from all three Services and also elements from the Coast Guard. Participants included naval warships , naval helicopters ,naval maritime recce aircrafts, IAF fighters, IAF heavy-lift transport aircraft, infantry combat vehicles with mechanised infantry , troops from the amphibious Brigade , Special Forces from both Navy and the Army and also ships of the Coast Guard.
This kind of exercise ,earlier restricted to the Western Coast, is now going to become a regular feature ( at least once in two years if not on annual basis) now on the Eastern Seaboard too. This exercise is meant to train the Indian Forces for defence of A& N islands and for securing the Eastern parts of IOR and hence will naturally take place in the given area. However some paranoid analysts in China have termed this training as intended to counter China’s maritime movements in the Indian Ocean region .
A Chinese naval expert was quoted by Global Times , Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, that the military drill was targeting China’s right of passage in international waters and thus totally irresponsible and narrow-minded, as China has never threatened India’s security. He stressed that the Indian Ocean belongs to all mankind, and India’s actions are an attempt to turn the ocean into India’s territorial waters, which is a violation of International Law. Well this is the same tabloid which vehemently writes against any country using international waters for passage or other lawful activities in the Seas located in the area South of China and very cleverly labelled by China as South of China Sea.
Global Times even quoted a statement made by Zhao Gan cheng of Shanghai Institute of International Studies that Chinese naval ships including submarines and merchant vessels entering the Indian Ocean are completely reasonable and lawful. China’s future actions in the Indian Ocean will not be affected by Indian action. Zhao also added that India’s confrontational ways of dealing with China are not likely to soften any time soon, and therefore the two countries should enhance communication to develop more mutual trust. Every sane person will surely be in agreement with the last statement with respect to building of mutual trust.
Therefore every one should know that this was totally a training exercise and periodically Indian Armed Forces will carry out such training irrespective of likings of others. As far as China is concerned they are welcome to know that Indian maritime surveillance assets are not only deployed around India but also well forward to keep an eye on any ship entering the area from Malacca Straight and are then monitored till they exit the area ahead of Madagascar……this is Indian Navy’s reach. Even Chinese Nuclear Submarines come under this scanner. The location of Andaman & Nicobar , Lakshadweep , the Deccan peninsula itself and now forward bases in Mauritius, Seychelles and soon in Changi and may be in Camranh Bay will give the Indian Navy a solid edge on any one having a nefarious design on the IOR. Those indulging in lawful activities have nothing to fear.
