Coastal security pressures 'SINK' blue-water dreams!!!

[1nd1a]

NEW DELHI: India's coastal security concerns are exacting a heavy toll on its naval 'blue-water' aspirations, maritime diplomacy and operational readiness.

Sources say Navy has been forced to cancel the deployment of its frontline warships to Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic in August-September, which was to include a series of combat exercises with several countries like France, UK and Turkey, due to 'heavy commitments' in the coastal security arena.

Navy did dispatch five of its eastern fleet warships to Vladivostok in Russia earlier this year, with the 'Simbex' exercise with Singaporean Navy and the 'Malabar' one with US warships being conducted on the way. But the western fleet's overseas deployment stands scrapped now.

Even since the 26/11 terror strikes in 2008, operational deployment of warships and surveillance aircraft of both Navy and Coast Guard has seen 'a quantum jump' on both the west and east coasts.

"Warship deployment has gone up by 60-80% and aircraft deployment by 100% for coastal security tasking. In July alone, for instance, there were about 440 ship and 190 aircraft surveillance sorties," said a defense ministry official.

"Moreover, a total of 165 coastal security operations, 54 exercises and 259 awareness campaigns for fishermen have been conducted between January 2009 and June 2011," he added.

This sharp increase in 'predictive utilization rates'' of warships and aircraft for coastal security, as also for anti-piracy operations, is pushing both men as well as machines to 'their very limits'.

"Earlier, a warship was at sea for 15 days in a month, with the remaining time left for maintenance at harbor. Now, it's at sea for 20-25 days. Operational life of ships and aircraft is being consumed at a much faster rate now," admitted an official.

But that does not detract from the fact that even abandoned ships like MT Pavit have managed to breach the three-tier security ring of Navy, Coast Guard and marine police in recent days.

'Physical surveillance' alone by Navy and Coast Guard will not do any longer. 'Electronic surveillance' measures, promised by the government under 'fast-track procedures', are equally critical but are yet to materialize on the ground even three years after 26/11.

 

[IndoCarib]

Securing our coasts is more important. 26/11 has already dented the navy's image irrepairably.

 

[angeldemon_007]

MOD should rather concentrate on increasing the production capacity of our shipyards. We should atleast give some project to our private sectors otherwise we would never learn whether our private sector is capable of building warships or not.

MOD can start to work on a separate project involving all private shipyards in which they all can join hands and design a frigate and then build all should build one. In this way we can easily determine which shipyard is capable enough to build warships. 1 frigate to all private shipyards : L&T, Pipavav and Bharti and the best shipyard, i mean the one which delivers the warship in the least time with least cost and best quality should be given a follow on order for next phase of frigates. Same project should be started for destroyers and submarines also. Through this way there will be competition and we can get cheaper and better warships in the faster rate.

Project 17a is about to start but project 15b destroyer will only start by 2014-2015. We can start a competition for project 15b, Project 28a corvettes, Project 17b frigates and Project 75I. I mean we cannot be delayed more than what our government shipyards are. Plus this way we can once and for all define the dedicated lines for our frgates, destroyers, corvettes and OPVs.

I mean if MOD is worries about money then they should remember that this misadventure won't cost more than what our government shipyards are costing us in the form of cost over-run.

MOD will have to take such challenges like we can give the last scorpene to L&T and we can test their capabilities i mean we all know MDL is not going anywhere and it will take them a decade to reach to that last scorpene submarine.

 

[S10]

MOD should rather concentrate on increasing the production capacity of our shipyards. We should atleast give some project to our private sectors otherwise we would never learn whether our private sector is capable of building warships or not.

MOD can start to work on a separate project involving all private shipyards in which they all can join hands and design a frigate and then build all should build one. In this way we can easily determine which shipyard is capable enough to build warships. 1 frigate to all private shipyards : L&T, Pipavav and Bharti and the best shipyard, i mean the one which delivers the warship in the least time with least cost and best quality should be given a follow on order for next phase of frigates. Same project should be started for destroyers and submarines also. Through this way there will be competition and we can get cheaper and better warships in the faster rate.

Project 17a is about to start but project 15b destroyer will only start by 2014-2015. We can start a competition for project 15b, Project 28a corvettes, Project 17b frigates and Project 75I. I mean we cannot be delayed more than what our government shipyards are. Plus this way we can once and for all define the dedicated lines for our frgates, destroyers, corvettes and OPVs.

I mean if MOD is worries about money then they should remember that this misadventure won't cost more than what our government shipyards are costing us in the form of cost over-run.

MOD will have to take such challenges like we can give the last scorpene to L&T and we can test their capabilities i mean we all know MDL is not going anywhere and it will take them a decade to reach to that last scorpene submarine.

I think allowing private sector in defence might be a dangerous step. Those that benefit from government weapons contracts may form a special interest groups. Over time, they will befriend politicians and hire lobbyists to get their way, forming a military-industrial-congressional complex like the United States. The American one had gotten so powerful it can dictate foreign policy, even at the expense of the American public.

 

[Major.]

I view this news as positive because....it gives another reason for us to build more vessels...!!!

 

[1nd1a]

I view this news as positive because....it gives another reason for us to build more vessels...!!!

Yes, I will take it in a positive way as well. We had hardly inducted any new equipment in 80's & 90's, how can we over come decades of negligence in couple of years. I agree with IndoCarib, we first need to ensure safety of our own coastal lines before even dreaming about becoming regional or a true blue water navy.

However, I believe that we need to take all action to empower private companies. We can't expect OLD government owned shipyards to deliver twice there capacity in one or two years. We lack skilled manpower and modern equipment to build it, then why not taking help of private companies who have invested millions just for getting these projects. If we don't give private shipyards work now, we will regret this in future.

 

[Veeru]

china is successful in encircling India it have tied up India in south asia using its proxy pak + port in sri lanka + base in Myanmar + creating pirasy in somalia so that it gets an excuse to take out its navy outside its domain and to engage India's assets.


Babus and netas are ruining our prospects we need to induct hundreds of fast attack boats these can be build cheaply + less time and they are very handy in sea denial and also against pirates/terrorists etc.

Its very foolish to deploy expensive US$ 1 billion worth warship (fuel+supplies+crew cost is also huge) against pirates or terrorists when this can be done by a US$ 50-100 million FAC.

 

[angeldemon_007]

I think allowing private sector in defence might be a dangerous step. Those that benefit from government weapons contracts may form a special interest groups. Over time, they will befriend politicians and hire lobbyists to get their way, forming a military-industrial-congressional complex like the United States. The American one had gotten so powerful it can dictate foreign policy, even at the expense of the American public.

My friend i totally agree with you but we have no choice. Our public sector shipyards are full of ****. Your shipyards complete atleast 1 warship in a year while our shipyards take atleast 5 years to start the project. Man situation here is very bad and out of desperation we have to support private shipyards as they will be quick in delivery + good quality + lesser cost as their wont be any cost over-run. One this is for sure, MOD will have to keep them under their thumb right from the beginning.

 

[S10]

My friend i totally agree with you but we have no choice. Our public sector shipyards are full of ****. Your shipyards complete atleast 1 warship in a year while our shipyards take atleast 5 years to start the project. Man situation here is very bad and out of desperation we have to support private shipyards as they will be quick in delivery + good quality + lesser cost as their wont be any cost over-run. One this is for sure, MOD will have to keep them under their thumb right from the beginning.

China had the very same problems in the 1980's to 1990's with inefficiencies in its shipyards. The government implemented a policy starting in the mid 1990's. If the shipyard did not turn a profit and complete contracts on time, the boss would be fired and workers disbanded. What you have is a failure of leadership in the factories. China's larges shipyards (Jiangnan, Dalian, Guangzhou) are all goverment owned, and they are both profitable and efficient. You'd be surprised how fast people work once their livlihood is on the line.

Problem with saying the defence ministry would keep the military-industrial complex under control is that in a democracy, money is power. When the special interest group grows large enough, they'll be the ones calling the shots and hijacking the public with them along for the ride.

 

[angeldemon_007]

^^^
Thats a great scheme but because of politics the government in India is not capable enough to take such harsh decisions but i think its the only way. I even think that after the shipyards don't return as per what they are expected of , then the bosses should not only be fired but a severe investigations should also be started so as to make sure there was no corruption and if there was then that a**hole should be put behind bars not under corruption but under treason.