- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 16,639
- Points
- 113
Today, an average of 6-7 PLA ships are in the Indian Ocean Region each month with aircraft carrier based task forces entering the region within this decade.
Given that the PLA is making one ship every seven days, India has no options but to develop long range capabilities in its island territories of Lakshadweep and Andamans and Nicobar Island.
Even though the tri-service Andamans and Nicobar Command was set-up by the Vajpayee government quarter of century ago, India’s military doctrine has been land centric with primacy to the Indian Army with other two services unfortunately being seen as force multipliers.
While India’s main adversary China changed its military doctrine from land to sea-centric in early 2000s, New Delhi started seriously looking at its maritime security post-2014 with PLA Navy surveillance ships, ballistic missile trackers, warships and submarines making forays into Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with logistics facilities in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Iran and the eastern seaboard of Africa. Today, an average of six-to-seven PLA ships are in the IOR each month with aircraft carrier based task forces entering the region within this decade.
Given that the PLA is making one ship every seven days, India has no options but to develop long range capabilities in its island territories of Lakshadweep and Andamans and Nicobar Island. It is only then that India can enforce sea-denial, sea-access deterrence as well as build leverages in the IOR against any potential rival. Apart from maritime security, India’s island territories hold huge economic potential for the country with world class transshipment hubs on the eastern as well as western seaboard of the country.