Gist of Editorials: All Out at Sea | GS – II


Relevance :  GS Paper  II


Why has this issue cropped up?

India is setting a high tempo of naval operations in Asia.

The recent exercises in the Indian Ocean

  • Indian and Australian warships held drills in the Bay of Bengal.
  • Anti-submarine exercise with the U.S. Navy near Diego Garcia.
  • Joint exercise ‘Varuna’ with the French Navy off the coast of Goa and Karwar.
  • Indian warships participated in a ‘group sail’ Japan, Philippines and US.

Reasons behind the India’s interest in Indian Ocean region

  • Rapid expansion of China’s naval footprint in the Indian Ocean.
  • South Asian navies have been making their presence felt in the seas of the subcontinent.
  • Pakistan too is becoming an increasingly potent actor in the northern Indian Ocean.

Need of partnerships for India

  • A paucity of assets and capacity has forced the Navy to seek partners.
  • Partnerships are also vital to deter Chinese undersea deployments in South Asia.

Analyzing India’s Ocean focus

  • India has moved to deepen its regional engagement.
  • However, it hasn’t succeeded in leveraging partnerships for strategic gains

Conclusion

Indian Navy’s regional strategy is a mere ‘risk management’ tactic, with limited approach to shape events in littoral-Asia.


 

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