News Analysis India

Tag: Indian Navy

  • Indian Ocean witnesses great power rivalry, basing facilities to China complicates it further: Vice Chief Navy

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: While the Indian Ocean region has become vulnerable to new unconventional threats and is witnessing great power rivalry, the basing facilities acquired by China in the region have further complicated the situation, says Indian Navy’s Vice Chief.

    Vice Admiral SN Ghormade said on Saturday, “Indian Ocean Region is witnessing the great power rivalry and situation has been complicated with China having been provided basing facilities at Djibouti, Pakistan, Sri lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar.”

    The Vice Chief was speaking on leveraging the military powers at the first Indraprastha Grand Strategy Conference by New Delhi based think tank Indian futures.

    What has added to the vulnerabilities are piracy, gun running, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, pollution, port security, smuggling, international terrorism, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction added Vice Admiral Ghormade.  

    Speaking on the roles, hard power and soft power of the maritime forces Ghormade pointed to the increased freedom of navigation operations in the south China Sea. “Naval forces can be effectively utilized for political signaling and posturing. The increase in freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea by the US Navy and its allies is an apt example.”

    There are various risks at sea as. “Non-adherence to rules based on international order and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, maritime militia, quest for hydrocarbons, and competing EEZ Claims have a risk of manifesting into flashpoints and causing instability.”

    The Vice Chief pointed out that China’s enhanced capabilities in the domain of space and cyber will increase its battle space transparency and provide information dominance.

    In the Indian Ocean region resources are likely to be a primary driver for contested maritime claims that could lead to conflict. Pressures of population, regional interference, ethnic strife, scarce natural resources, border disputes and weak littoral governments are likely to contribute to instability in the region.

    As per Vice Chief, well being, economic prosperity and the nation is the unstated Grand Strategy.

    Leveraging Military power is one of the most important traits of the apex leadership and dimension of statecraft. “Military power is not only leveraged for military crises but for various other contingencies such as Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) Efforts, Evacuation of Indian Diaspora and assistance required to civilian authorities.” he said.

    Sea power is a facilitator of Economic power, he said. “We must remember the 70, 80, 90 rule. &0 percent of the ocean surface is ocean surface, 80 percent of the world population lives within 200 kilometer distance from the oceans and 90 percent of Global Trade touches ocean at one point or the other and 100 percent of global information traffic passes through ocean,” Ghormade said.

    Safe and Secure maritime environment is prerequisite to nurture our strategic interests and strong armed force is requisite for peace and stability

    Highlighting the soft power and benign role of the Indian Navy the Vice Chief of Naval Staff said, “during the first break of pandemic operation Samudra Setu was launched to provide medical succor and repatriate citizens in the pandemic. Ships traversed 23000 km to evacuate 3993 Indians.”

    “In end April Second wave put tremendous pressure on medical infra thus operation Samudra Setu-II was launched to augment mission for meeting Oxygen Requirement. 10 ships transported 1150 Metric tons of medical equipment and good including the Oxygen Cylinders, Empty cylinders, Oxymeters, concentrators, brought from across the expanse of Indian Ocean was resounding success.” he added. 

  • Admiral R Hari Kumar takes charge as 25th Chief of Naval Staff

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Admiral R Hari Kumar assumed command of the Indian Navy on Tuesday as the 25th Chief of the Naval Staff. He succeeds Admiral Karambir Singh who retires upon superannuation after an illustrious career spanning over 41 years.

    Admiral R Hari Kumar is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 1, 1983.

    In his career spanning over 38 years, he has commanded Coast Guard Ship C-01, IN Ships Nishank, Kora, Ranvir and the Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat. A Gunnery specialist, he has held several key appointments, including Fleet Operations Officer (FOO) and Fleet Gunnery Officer (FGO) of Western Fleet, Executive Officer (EXO) of INS Vipul, Gunnery Officer of INS Ranjit, commissioning GO of INS Kuthar and commissioning crew of INS Ranvir.

    His shore appointments include Command Gunnery Officer at HQWNC, Naval Advisor to Government of Seychelles, UN Mission in Somalia (UNOSOM II) at Mogadishu and Training Commander, INS Dronacharya.

    As a Flag Officer, he has served as Commandant of the Naval War College (NWC) at Goa, Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST), Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF), Chief of Staff (COS), Western Naval Command (WNC), Controller Personnel Services (CPS) and Chief of Personnel (COP) at Naval Headquarters.

    He has also served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) at the critical junction during the creation of the institution of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Department of Military Affairs (DMA).

    Admiral R Hari Kumar was the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOCinC), WNC, at Mumbai prior to taking over as the Chief of Naval Staff on Tuesday.

  • Amid border tensions with China, mega multi-agency military exercise conducted in Kutch

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India’s combat capability and readiness to confront any multi-dimensional security threat was elaborately tested at a four-day mega military exercise conducted in the Creek sector of the Kutch peninsula that concluded on Monday, military officials said.

    The Sagar Shakti exercise, held from November 19 to 22, witnessed participation of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard, Border Security Force, Gujarat Police and the Marine Police, they said.

    The high-intensity exercise was organised by the Indian Army’s Southern Command and its primary aim was to test the combat readiness of the agencies in a real-time scenario, the officials said.

    They said the exercise involved the insertion of troops and complex manoeuvres by the forces in dealing with any possible security challenges in the domains of land, water and air simultaneously in an integrated manner.

    “Comprehensive coordination incorporating contemporary technology to include response mechanism in a multi-domain environment, real-time communication, and sharing of operational data to overcome emerging multi-dimensional threats were practised and honed,” a senior official said.

    The exercise was witnessed by the senior hierarchy of participating agencies.

    “This is the first time that an effective punch of a field training exercise has been packed in the response mechanism which functions under a robust Central Operation Room (COR) comprising troops of multiple forces,” the official said.

    “The integration and coordination achieved were apparent,” he added.

    The participating organisations deployed key assets in the exercise to simulate ways to combat various threats that India may face.

    The exercise comes at a time India has bolstered its maritime combat capability in view of evolving security scenarios in the Indian Ocean Region.

    The Indian Ocean, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy, is critical for India’s strategic interests.

    China has been making concerted efforts to increase its presence in the region.

    The Indian Navy has been ramping up its presence in the Indian Ocean to keep a hawk-eyed vigil over Chinese activities.

  • Ex-naval officers get bail in submarine information leak case; court terms CBI chargesheets ‘incomplete’

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The CBI had to cut a sorry face after a special court granted bail to retired Navy officers Randeep Singh and SJ Singh and others in a case of alleged leak of confidential information on submarine projects for pecuniary gains, terming the agency’s chargesheets as “incomplete” as the documents do not mention anything about a probe under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), officials said.

    The court has also granted bail to TP Sastry, executive director of Allen Reinforced Plastics Limited, a Hyderabad-based company, they said.

    Special Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj granted default bail to the retired officers — Commodore Randeep Singh and Commander SJ Singh — who were arrested on September 2, and Sastry, who was arrested on September 8, on a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and other conditions.

    An accused becomes eligible for default bail if the investigating agency does not file the chargesheet within a stipulated period of 60 days or 90 days, depending on the charges pressed.

    The judge said although the agency had filed its chargesheets within 60 days on November 2, the documents are “incomplete” as those do not mention anything about the probe under the OSA, making the accused eligible for bail.

    “The chargesheet filed before the court is incomplete in as much as there is no mention regarding the investigation being carried out under the Official Secrets Act, though the same was being carried out in this case itself.

    The chargesheet thus, is incomplete for the purposes of section 167(2) of CrPC (default bail),” she said.

    The agency had made a mention of the pending OSA investigation for the first time while replying to the bail applications of the accused, which were dismissed on November 10 as there was “no clarity regarding the status of the case under the Official Secrets Act, the computation of time period for offences discovered later in the investigation etc”, the judge had noted.

    “It was stated in the reply of the CBI that the investigation was being conducted under the Official Secrets Act, the Ministry of Defence has been requested to file a formal complaint as per law and the supplementary chargesheet would follow,” the judge noted.

    The defence lawyers cited a Delhi High Court judgment stating that since there is no minimum stipulated punishment under the OSA, chargesheets have to be filed within 60 days to deny default bail to the accused.

    The judge pointed out that the CBI had taken over the probe in respect of section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and other sections were added as the investigation progressed.

    “At no point did the CBI inform the court that an investigation under the Official Secrets Act has also been taken up,” she said.

    The judge noted that the investigation officer informed, when inquired, that the Navy in response to a reference from the CBI had told the agency that the documents recovered were confidential in nature.

    The response of the Navy was received on October 14 and October 19, she pointed out.

    The judge said the agency filed two chargesheets on November 2 but there was no mention of the OSA investigation being carried out by the agency.

    It was only in response to the bail applications of the accused that the CBI said in order to initiate a probe under sections 3 and 5 of the OSA, a complaint from the defence ministry was required for which the agency had sent a proposal to the ministry, she said.

    Citing Supreme Court and high court judgments, the judge said it was “incumbent upon the CBI” to have filed its chargesheets within 60 days, mentioning that the investigation on its part was complete and that the reference has been made to the ministry concerned for filing a complaint under the relevant sections.

    The court said even if it is considered for the sake of arguments that the CBI had forwarded the application for a formal complaint and the ball was in the court of the ministry — though the argument of the prosecutor is that the investigation is also going on — the part of the CBI was not over in as much as it was expected to file a report alongside the said complaint with all the evidence collected by it.

    The CBI had carried out raids on retired naval officers Commodore Randeep Singh and Commander Satwinder Jeet Singh on September 2 after getting information that the latter was going to share crucial details related to a meeting in the Navy on procurement.

    Both were arrested on the same day.

    The agency is probing allegations into the leak of confidential information pertaining to procurement and maintenance of naval equipment for pecuniary benefits and bribery in a deal for a mine-laying saddle from Allen Reinforced Plastics Limited.

  • Navy confident of positive response for third aircraft carrier as India all set to seal drone pact with US

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is confident of a positive response from the government on its demand for a third aircraft carrier and the warship will be designed to accommodate both fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles, people familiar with the development said on Tuesday.

    At present, India has only one aircraft carrier — INS Vikramaditya which is a Russian origin platform.

    Indigenously built aircraft carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant is expected to be fully operational by 2022.

    The people cited above said discussions on various aspects of the third aircraft carrier were on and that its overall displacement may be brought down from the proposed 65,000 tonnes to bring down cost and time for its construction.

    “We are looking at various aspects of the project. It will be designed to accommodate both fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles,” said a source.

    At a press conference, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh last year said that a third aircraft carrier for India is “absolutely necessary” to further expand its maritime prowess.

    The people cited above said the third aircraft carrier project is set to be included in the modified 15-year Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) of the Indian Navy.

    The Navy is modifying the MCPP in view of time overrun in certain projects as well as to align it with the 10-year Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) being worked out by the Department of Military Affairs to ensure a tri-services approach in meeting future security challenges.

    Asked about the third aircraft carrier, Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, said the requirement of the third aircraft carrier will be factored in when the plan is made.

    “All these, the aircraft carrier (third), the submarines and maritime patrol aircraft, will have a definite role. To make a balanced force, all these are required for the capability of the country,” he told reporters at an event.

    The IAC Vikrant has been built at a cost of around Rs 23,000 crore.

    In August, it completed a five-day maiden sea voyage and the performance of its key systems was found to be satisfactory.

    In February last year, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat had indicated that the Indian Navy may not get approval for a third aircraft carrier anytime soon as the priority is to bolster its submarine fleet.

    Gen Rawat had said that cost could be a major factor in deciding on the issue as aircraft carriers are “very expensive”.

    India is set to finalise a long-conceived proposal to procure 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over USD 3 billion (around Rs 22,000 crore), official sources said on Tuesday.

    The proposal to acquire the MQ-9B long-endurance drones, armed with air-to-ground missiles, is likely to be cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in the next few weeks following which it will be placed before the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security, they said.

    The sources said various key aspects of the procurement including the cost component and weapons package have already been finalised and the mega-deal is set to be sealed with the US by the current fiscal.

    Vice Chief of India Navy Vice Admiral said the proposal will be placed before the DAC in a “short while”.

    “The whole effort of the procurement process is that we take a very balanced decision and therefore inputs of all stakeholders are taken. The process is on and we have progressed quite a bit on this process. This will move to DAC in a short while,” he told reporters at an event.

    The procurement proposal has been moved by the Indian Navy and all three services are likely to get 10 drones each.

    The remotely piloted drones, manufactured by US defence major General Atomics, are capable of remaining airborne for around 35 hours and can be deployed on a range of missions including surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and destroying enemy targets.

    The medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) Predator-B drone is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance.

    Indian armed forces have been focusing on procuring unmanned platforms including armed drones following the eastern Ladakh standoff with China and a drone strike on the Jammu airbase.

    Explosives-laden drones were used to carry out the attack on the Jammu Air Force station in June in the first such instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital military installations in India.

    In 2019, the US approved the sale of armed drones to India and even offered integrated air and missile defence systems.

    The Indian Navy has been strongly pushing for the procurement to boost its overall surveillance over the Indian Ocean, a region that has witnessed increasing forays by Chinese ships and submarines in the last few years.

    Last year, the Indian Navy received two Predator drones on lease from the US, primarily for surveillance over the Indian Ocean.

    The two non-weaponised MQ-9B drones were leased for one year with the option of extending the period by another year.

    In February last year, India sealed a USD 2.6 billion deal with the US for procurement of 24 MH-60 Romeo helicopters from American aerospace major Lockheed Martin for the Indian Navy.

    The delivery of the helicopters has already begun.

  • Boost to maritime power: Indian Navy to commission missile destroyer, submarine

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy will commission a guided-missile destroyer and a Kalvari-class submarine by next week in a boost to its combat capability in dealing with the rapidly changing security environment in the face of growing Chinese forays into the Indian Ocean region.

    Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, said destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’ will be commissioned on November 21 while submarine Vela will be inducted into the force on November 25.

    The Navy commander also said that as many as 39 naval ships and submarines are currently being constructed in various Indian shipyards that are expected to significantly boost India’s maritime prowess.

    “We all know that the maritime environment is a complex one and it only increases with more number of players involved,” he said.

    “We live in a time when global and regional balances of power are shifting rapidly and the region of most rapid change is undoubtedly the Indian Ocean Region,” the commander said.

    Vice Admiral Ghormade said continuous efforts are, therefore, on to ensure that the force levels grow progressively to enhance the capability of the Indian Navy to meet the emerging challenges.

    While warship ‘Visakhapatnam’ will be commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the chief guest at the induction ceremony of Vela will be Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh.

    Both the platforms have been built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. The induction ceremonies will be held at the naval dockyard in Mumbai.

    “The commissioning of Visakhapatnam will reaffirm India’s presence amongst an elite group of nations with capability to design and build advanced warships,” the Vice Admiral said.

    He said apart from myriad indigenous equipment in the ‘float’ and ‘move’ categories, the destroyer is also installed with many major indigenous weapons such as indigenous medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, surface-to-surface missiles by Brahmos Aerospace and torpedo tubes and launchers by L&T.

    “The overall indigenous content of the project is approximately 75 per cent,” he said. Vela is the fourth submarine of the Kalvari class.

    “Submarine building is a sophisticated exercise involving placing small components sequentially and logically inside the submarine as the space within is extremely constricted,” Vice Admiral Ghormade said.

    “Very few countries possess this ability in their industrial capacity. India has proven its capability to build our own submarines for the past 25 years,” he added.

  • Navy will achieve its 170-ship force level, timelines being revised: Navy Vice Chief

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Indian Navy’s plans towards the 200 ship force will be achieved in the future but at present, the focus is towards reaching the 170 ship force level with a tweaked timeline, said Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade, Vice Chief of Naval Staff on Tuesday while briefing media on the commissioning of the first of Project-15B class stealth guided-missile destroyer ‘Visakhapatnam’ on November 21 and the fourth Scorpene-class submarine ‘Vela’ on November 25.Indian Navy is making continuous efforts to ensure the force levels grow progressively to enhance the capability to meet the emerging challenges as the Maritime environment is a complex one and it only increases with more number of players involved, said Ghormade.“Earlier the plan was for 170 (ships) by 2027 but over the period, of course, there has been a delay in the procurement and acquisition process. Now we are reformulating the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) for the next 15 years, but the Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICAP), which has come up, is for a ten-year period. Why we work on a 15-year model, is because the Navy’s projects have a long gestation period. We need to have a much larger timeframe for induction,” he explained. 

    The Navy currently has 130 ships. With ICAP under the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), “the work is progressing on the tri-services front to make an integrated development system, in which our Maritime Capability Perspective Plan has been included into it, which will ensure that our process continues.”

    “MCPP caters to capability-dominant and threat-cum-mission based approaches. The capabilities are built over a period of time, which will meet our capability across the spectrum of warfare. From the lower density to nuclear war,” he said.

    When asked about the issue of new warships being made available to Pakistan by China, the Vice Chief said even as the threats keep changing, the plan takes care of that and emerging threats. it is reviewed every five years.

    On the need for a second Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC-II) and the debate over carriers versus submarines and islands, Vice Adm Ghormade said all platforms like carrier, submarine, and maritime patrol aircraft have a definite role to raise a balanced force.  “The aircraft carrier, the submarines, maritime patrol aircraft all have their definite role, therefore to make a balanced force all these are required for the capability of the country. When we make this plan (MCPP) we have factored in the aircraft carrier, we have factored in submarines. On which we are worked on the affordability.”

    Terming the commissioning of ‘Visakhapatnam’ and ‘Vela’ as major milestones in the sphere of indigenisation, he said, as many as 39 ships and submarines are presently under construction at various Indian shipyards across the country. The contract for the construction of four ships under Project-15B was signed in January 2011 at a project cost of about ₹29,643.74 crore. The final cost of the project is ₹35,000 crore. The four ships are christened after major cities from all four corners of the country  – Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal, and Surat. The remaining ships would be commissioned one per year from 2022 to 2024. Similarly, the fifth Scorpene undergoing trials is scheduled to be commissioned by October 2022 and the sixth and last submarine by the end 2023.

  • Defence Ministry approves acquisition of military hardware worth Rs 7,965 crore

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry on Tuesday approved the procurement of arms and military equipment worth Rs 7,965 crore, including 12 light utility helicopters from HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), according to an official statement.

    The procurement proposals were approved at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the ministry’s highest decision-making body on the matter. All of these proposals are under ‘Make in India’ with a focus on design, development and manufacturing in India.

    “As a further impetus to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), a global procurement case of naval guns has been foreclosed with these guns’ quantity added to the upgraded super rapid gun mount (SRGM) being manufactured by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL),” it noted.

    Besides clearing the proposal to buy 12 helicopters, the DAC approved the procurement of Lynx U2 naval gunfire control system from Bharat Electronics Limited, the ministry’s statement said.

    The DAC also approved “mid-life upgradation of Dornier aircraft” by HAL to increase the naval capacity of maritime reconnaissance and coastal surveillance, it mentioned.

    Lynx U2 Fire Control System will enhance the detection, tracking and engagement capabilities of Naval warships and upgraded Dornier Aircraft will add to the Naval capacity of maritime reconnaissance and coastal surveillance.

    These SRGMs provide niche capabilities of engaging fast manoeuvring targets using guided munitions and range extensions, and are to be fitted on the warships of the Indian Navy, the statement said.

    “The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), in its meeting of November 2, 2021, held under the chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity for capital acquisition proposals for modernisation and operational needs of the armed forces amounting to Rs 7,965 crore,” it noted.

    All these proposals are under ‘Make in India’ with a focus on design, development and manufacturing in the country, according to the statement.

    The military equipment are being procured at a time the Indian armed forces are locked in a bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

  • Indian Navy receives first P15B stealth-guided-missile destroyer

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy received its first P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer from Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders on Thursday, an official statement said on Saturday. The construction and delivery of this ship — named “Visakhapatnam” — is another testament of impetus given by the government and the Navy to the indigenous warship construction programmes, it said.

    Yet another testament of impetus given by Govt of India & the Navy towards #indigenous warship constn programmes.#Visakhapatnam – #first of the indigenous P15B stealth Guided Missile destroyers being built at #MazagonDock, #Mumbai delivered to #IndianNavy on 28 Oct 21.(1/2). pic.twitter.com/sECvXvhl4R
    — SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) October 30, 2021
    A guided-missile destroyer has the capability to launch guided anti-aircraft missiles from its deck. “Visakhapatnam – first of the indigenous P15B stealth guided-missile destroyers being built at Mazgaon Dock, Mumbai delivered to Indian Navy on October 28, 2021,” the Indian Navy said on Twitter.

    “Induction of the destroyer will not only enhance combat readiness of Indian Navy but will also be a major leap forward towards our quest for Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India),” it added.

  • Indo-Pacific witnessing day-to-day competition for influence, says Navy chief

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is working on “tailor-made” solutions to help friendly countries confront pressing challenges in the maritime domain with a broader aim to emerge as a preferred security partner and make a real contribution for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh said on Wednesday.

    Without naming China, he also talked about some states applying “land-centric” territorial mindsets in the basic idea of global commerce in the Indi-Pacific with an attempt to seek greater domination and control that has created challenges to global rules.

    In an address at a seminar, Admiral Singh said there has been a “day-to-day” competition for influence in the Indo-Pacific that brings with it attendant and evolving challenges, noting that the rules of game are “constantly changing”.

    He said the Indian Navy has prioritised certain elements in its efforts to play a more constructive and stabilising role in the Indo-Pacific that including working towards developing collective maritime competence in the region.

    “Our Navy’s endeavour is to help harness competencies collectively to tackle the common challenges being faced. In this, creation of a participative inclusive ecosystem rather than a prohibitive elitist one has been our priority,” he said.

    He said the second element is to look outward and be ambitious in its engagement while the third one is to engage with partner nations to develop interoperability and trust with an aim to come together in a “plug and play” fashion when needed.

    Admiral Singh said the final element is to focus on the real problems being faced by regional nations on a day-to-day basis and help them with tailor-made solutions.

    “For example, the island nations in the Indian Ocean Region, their economy is tourism-oriented.

    Their problems are of drug smuggling, human smuggling,” he said.

    “Therefore, as the Indian Navy, we are working to develop tailor-made solutions to these problems.

    Only when we address the challenges that the nations in the region face, we can hope to emerge as a preferred security partner in the region and make a real contribution towards a free, more open and increasingly inclusive region,” Singh said.

    The top Navy commander cautioned that any contest in the region will impact all other countries and not just the contenders as he called for a comprehensive approach by like-minded countries to deal with the emerging challenges.

    “There is a danger of global commons turning into contested seas.

    Competition in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more diverse, involving levers of diplomacy, commerce, ideologies, values, science and technology apart from the military,” he said.

    “If we are to ensure the security and safety of global commons, like-minded navies must come together to manage and maintain the global commons for prosperity,” the Navy chief added.

    He said the future of the Indo-Pacific hinges on cooperative efforts of like-minded nations, asserting that prosperity, security and growth for all in the region can only be accomplished under a collaborative approach.

    “We have to be aware of the evolving nature of the competition and the contestation in this region.

    “What we are seeing today is some states applying land centric territorial mindsets in the basic idea of global commerce, attempting to seek greater domination and control.

    and therefore it creates challenges to international rules, regulations and reinterpretation of such conventions,” he added.

    There has been growing global concern over China’s increasing expansionist behaviour in the Indo-Pacific that has forced many countries to come out with strategies to deal with the challenge.