Naval assets have always been most expensive units. It takes a lot of trained manpower and economic resources to operate and maintain a single warship than any other item in the army or the air force. Additionally one needs even more assets to safeguard naval assets. For example an aircraft carrier is sitting duck and needs a fleet of escorts for protection.
Other surface vessels such as cruisers and destroyers are vulnerable to mines, to air and submarine attacks and dedicated anti-aircraft frigates, minesweepers and anti-sub frigates/corvettes for protection.
However, one must have Navy to protect the sea lanes vital for receiving supplies and also to safeguard economic zones. Additionally navy is the only means thru which military power can be projected far beyond the country’s shores to safeguard national interests.
Pakistan has a relatively small shore line and unlike an island nation, has land route access to the military and oil supplies thru Iran, China and Afghanistan. Additionally, ever since the Midway battle o WW2, Naval Air Power is considered the deciding factor in the major conflicts at sea. Thus when defence are funds allocated; PN always comes last. In the light of the above, before we criticize PN, we have to ask ourselves did our Navy perform below expectations given the resource constraints.
Based upon 1971 showing, answer will be definitely yes. For example, was it prudent to send Ghazi on a wild goose chase to the Indian East coast and thus leave Karachi undefended? Why did we not foresee capabilities of the Ossa FAC and did not plan any counter measures? Why there was no air arm to speak of? This is probably down to the Defence High Command as well as calibre of the PN Command more than anything else.
I put down failure of the PN in 1971 to many factors, most of all incomptent leadership and manpower resource of Pakistan’s military machine in general and of the Navy in particular.
Don’t think we in Pakistan have the habit of an objective self-analysis and devising ways and means to make optimum use of our resources. A very minor incident such as bombing of Dwarka was made into a huge success story in 1965 giving a false sense of invincibility to an inefficient naval force. Indians learnt from the lessons of 1965 and took corrective measures. Whereas it appears that the nation has not learned anything from the debacle of 1971 be it regarding military or regarding politics.
In the place of the Bengalis, we are now targeting Shias. Do you think that Shias of Gilgit or the Hazara of Quetta or Shias of Parachinar can remain loyal to Pakistan when their members are dragged out of the busses and shot? The very sectarian parties now call themselves Defence of Pakistan Council! Defence against what?
On the other hand; despite the technological prowess of the US military demonstrated during the Abbottabad Osama incident, popular TV personalities such Zaid Hamid openly advocate fighting US and prophesize victory! Many of my naïve countrymen believe it totally forgetting what happened to Saddam with his invincible army.
What we lack is the top class human resource with foresight and with ability to realize what we can do and fortitude to accept what we cannot. Thus act in the best possible interest of the nation.
This applies to all branches of the military as well as the navy. The reason why PN failed was more to do with paucity of capable leadership and less with scarcity of the resources.
There has to be a paradigm shift in the national thinking, else Pakistan is going nowhere.
