NEW DELHI, APRIL 25: The Indian Navy has published its first ever maritime doctrine that lays down a road map for development of the country’s sea power in the new millennium. The doctrine will be unveiled at the Naval Commanders’ Conference that begins at Visakhapatnam on Monday morning.
Significantly, the 148-page report, which comes weeks after the Indian Army released its new doctrine, moves away from earlier concepts of coastal protection and instead adopts new concepts of power-projection and littoral warfare to support land forces in operating in enemy territory. While several maritime strategies have been published by Naval headquarters earlier, this is the first time that an Indian Maritime Doctrine has been published and clearly spells out the need for a navy that is capable of conducting operations far from its shores.
The doctrine also notes developments in the immediate neighbourhood in the context of India’s maritime plans. The Chinese Navy, it says, ‘‘has acquired decommissioned aircraft carriers from Australia and Russia to study their construction details and evolve an indigenous design for a carrier by 2015’’. The Chinese Navy will now move from being a coastal navy to ‘‘an ocean-going one’’ and has plans to configure its force levels around ‘‘two carrier groups’’.
In its focus on Pakistan, it points out that Islamabad has contracted a $1 billion deal with France for Agosta 90B submarines, makes a note of its non-NATO ally status and projects a ‘‘quantum increase in its naval capability’’.
In addition to the long-established threat on the Western Seaboard, the Indian Navy underlines the strategic requirement to look East as well. The Singapore Navy, it says, has already acquired submarines and two Malaysian ones are under construction in European shipyards, while Thailand and Myanmar are negotiating to induct them too.
Power projection, the doctrine says, can take a number of forms such as ‘‘combatant evacuation, amphibious operations, maritime air support, strikes ashore and land attack’’.
With India having signed a contract with Russia to acquire the 44,000-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, with its complement of MiG-29K aircraft, the doctrine points out the need for a Carrier Battle Group as an instrument of sea control as well as sea denial.
The doctrine moves away from earlier strategies where the Navy was inward looking and now even looks at developing capabilities to deal with ‘‘conflict with an extra-regional power’’ and ‘‘protecting Persons of Indian Origin and Indian interests abroad’’.
The document also talks of military missions, including providing ‘‘conventional and strategic nuclear deterrence against regional states’’,as well as diplomatic missions to ‘‘enable the Government to use the Navy as an effective instrument of foreign policyâ€.
Significantly, the 148-page report, which comes weeks after the Indian Army released its new doctrine, moves away from earlier concepts of coastal protection and instead adopts new concepts of power-projection and littoral warfare to support land forces in operating in enemy territory. While several maritime strategies have been published by Naval headquarters earlier, this is the first time that an Indian Maritime Doctrine has been published and clearly spells out the need for a navy that is capable of conducting operations far from its shores.
The doctrine also notes developments in the immediate neighbourhood in the context of India’s maritime plans. The Chinese Navy, it says, ‘‘has acquired decommissioned aircraft carriers from Australia and Russia to study their construction details and evolve an indigenous design for a carrier by 2015’’. The Chinese Navy will now move from being a coastal navy to ‘‘an ocean-going one’’ and has plans to configure its force levels around ‘‘two carrier groups’’.
In its focus on Pakistan, it points out that Islamabad has contracted a $1 billion deal with France for Agosta 90B submarines, makes a note of its non-NATO ally status and projects a ‘‘quantum increase in its naval capability’’.
In addition to the long-established threat on the Western Seaboard, the Indian Navy underlines the strategic requirement to look East as well. The Singapore Navy, it says, has already acquired submarines and two Malaysian ones are under construction in European shipyards, while Thailand and Myanmar are negotiating to induct them too.
Power projection, the doctrine says, can take a number of forms such as ‘‘combatant evacuation, amphibious operations, maritime air support, strikes ashore and land attack’’.
With India having signed a contract with Russia to acquire the 44,000-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, with its complement of MiG-29K aircraft, the doctrine points out the need for a Carrier Battle Group as an instrument of sea control as well as sea denial.
The doctrine moves away from earlier strategies where the Navy was inward looking and now even looks at developing capabilities to deal with ‘‘conflict with an extra-regional power’’ and ‘‘protecting Persons of Indian Origin and Indian interests abroad’’.
The document also talks of military missions, including providing ‘‘conventional and strategic nuclear deterrence against regional states’’,as well as diplomatic missions to ‘‘enable the Government to use the Navy as an effective instrument of foreign policyâ€.
