Battle royale on ocean waters

The bumper budget allocation for the Indian Navy will allow it to modernise its existing ships and submarines and also enhance its fleet in wake of increasing Chinese forays in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and China ramping up its naval reach. There has been a thrust on maritime security in the wake of the current scenario and threat perception in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It is aimed at enhancing its reach and firepower as China continues to maintain an aggressive posture in the region.

Indian Navy has various projects that are underway to boost its capabilities, and the additional funds towards that. There is a big push on self-reliance as out of 39 ships and submarines under construction, 37 are being made in India. As per Defence Ministry, not just the Navy, but there has been a significant increase in the Indian Coast Guards capital budget.

"This enhancement is aimed at building up of assets such as acquisition of ships and aircraft, augmentation of infrastructure, establishment of coastal security network and building up technical and administrative support structures"

A sharp rise in Chinese fishing vessels in the IOR in the last four to five years also been observed. On an average, there were 300 Chinese fishing vessels that sailed the IOR every year but in the last year, this number has gone up to 450. Increasing presence of China in the Indian Ocean Region has been a strategic concern for India.

The Chinese Navy vessels including their submarines frequent the water on the pretext of anti-piracy operations, intelligence reports suggest. China has been expanding its naval operations in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indian Navy is aware of its growing maritime prowess. They have been shifting a lot of resources from other arms to the Navy, keeping in line with their aim of becoming a global power.

N Sadhasiva Reddy, Bengaluru