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No evil design behind proactive naval exercises: Admiral Mehta
P.S. Suryanarayana
"It is in our national interest to build partnerships with our neighbours"
Admiral Sureesh Mehta
SINGAPORE: India "requires a strong Navy to ensure peace and stability when the nation's economic strength is growing at the rate at which it is," Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said.
Outlining the "maritime doctrine," he said India's ongoing "defence diplomacy" of engaging the navies of some major countries in a series of exercises "is not power projection."
"No nexus"
"It is not as if there is a nexus that is being built up," Admiral Mehta told The Hindu here on Friday, responding to a question about the growing impression that India was moving closer to the United States and Japan in the maritime zone of Greater East Asia.
"There is no evil design, in fact, no design" behind India's proactive naval exercises. "We are now an economic power of some relevance," and this should explain the new surge of strategic interest among the major navies towards India.
The latest wave of naval exercises along the Pacific coastline of East Asia was set off by New Delhi's "initiative." On the politically sensitive exercise with the U.S. off the Japanese waters, as part of the just-concluded series, Admiral Mehta, in Singapore for an international maritime defence exhibition, said India's confidence-building measures towards China were "an ongoing process."
The exercises of varying sophistication involved not only the U.S. and Japan in a trilateral format but also in a bilateral framework with Russia and China, besides Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In addition, India held an intensive round of Malabar-series bilateral exercise with the U.S. off Okinawa.
Asked whether Australia and Singapore would join India and the U.S. for the proposed Malabar-series exercise along the Bay of Bengal in September, he said Canberra had "not made any commitment as yet."
On indications that the U.S. was now beginning to look upon Indian vessels as part of the informal "1000-ship" global navy to meet emergencies, Admiral Mehta said: "We are not part of any team. It is in our national interest to build partnerships with our neighbouring countries. So we stretch out. The Indian Ocean is named after us. We are a regional Navy. If required in this Indian Ocean region, we will undertake humanitarian missions, stop piracy and gun-running, and all those kind of things in asymmetric warfare."
Asked if the Indian Navy would be willing to join forces with the U.S. for conventional military operations, he said: "We don't do it. We don't believe in it. We have not joined till now... operations in the Gulf — whatever coalitions. And, we don't intend to be part of it. Our policy is: If there is any operation that has to be done under the aegis of the United Nations, we will most certainly make our forces available. We have no intention of joining up in any other manner. ... There is not even a maritime footprint that India is trying to put across. "
On the current strengths of the Indian Navy, he said: "The blue water capability always existed. But the ratio [between this and brown water capacity] had gone a little askew. We are in the process of correcting that."
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/21/stories/2007052104551300.htm
P.S. Suryanarayana
"It is in our national interest to build partnerships with our neighbours"
Admiral Sureesh Mehta
SINGAPORE: India "requires a strong Navy to ensure peace and stability when the nation's economic strength is growing at the rate at which it is," Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said.
Outlining the "maritime doctrine," he said India's ongoing "defence diplomacy" of engaging the navies of some major countries in a series of exercises "is not power projection."
"No nexus"
"It is not as if there is a nexus that is being built up," Admiral Mehta told The Hindu here on Friday, responding to a question about the growing impression that India was moving closer to the United States and Japan in the maritime zone of Greater East Asia.
"There is no evil design, in fact, no design" behind India's proactive naval exercises. "We are now an economic power of some relevance," and this should explain the new surge of strategic interest among the major navies towards India.
The latest wave of naval exercises along the Pacific coastline of East Asia was set off by New Delhi's "initiative." On the politically sensitive exercise with the U.S. off the Japanese waters, as part of the just-concluded series, Admiral Mehta, in Singapore for an international maritime defence exhibition, said India's confidence-building measures towards China were "an ongoing process."
The exercises of varying sophistication involved not only the U.S. and Japan in a trilateral format but also in a bilateral framework with Russia and China, besides Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. In addition, India held an intensive round of Malabar-series bilateral exercise with the U.S. off Okinawa.
Asked whether Australia and Singapore would join India and the U.S. for the proposed Malabar-series exercise along the Bay of Bengal in September, he said Canberra had "not made any commitment as yet."
On indications that the U.S. was now beginning to look upon Indian vessels as part of the informal "1000-ship" global navy to meet emergencies, Admiral Mehta said: "We are not part of any team. It is in our national interest to build partnerships with our neighbouring countries. So we stretch out. The Indian Ocean is named after us. We are a regional Navy. If required in this Indian Ocean region, we will undertake humanitarian missions, stop piracy and gun-running, and all those kind of things in asymmetric warfare."
Asked if the Indian Navy would be willing to join forces with the U.S. for conventional military operations, he said: "We don't do it. We don't believe in it. We have not joined till now... operations in the Gulf — whatever coalitions. And, we don't intend to be part of it. Our policy is: If there is any operation that has to be done under the aegis of the United Nations, we will most certainly make our forces available. We have no intention of joining up in any other manner. ... There is not even a maritime footprint that India is trying to put across. "
On the current strengths of the Indian Navy, he said: "The blue water capability always existed. But the ratio [between this and brown water capacity] had gone a little askew. We are in the process of correcting that."
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/21/stories/2007052104551300.htm
