Title: India's Aspirations and Strategy for the Indian Ocean – Securing the Waves?
Abstract: Abstract India has increasingly high aspirations in the Indian Ocean, as enunciated by politicians, naval figures and the wider elite. These aspirations, its strategic discourse, are of pre-eminence and leadership. India's maritime strategy for such a self-confessed diplomatic, constabulary and benign role is primarily naval-focused; a sixfold strategy of increasing its naval spending, strengthening its infrastructure, increasing its naval capabilities, active maritime diplomacy, exercising in the Indian Ocean and keeping open the choke points. Through such strategy, and soft balancing with the United States, India hopes to secure its own position against a perceived growing Chinese challenge in the Indian Ocean. Key Words: IndiaIndian OceanNavySeapowerStrategy Notes 1Harsh Pant, 'India in the Indian Ocean: Growing Mismatch between Ambitions and Capabilities', Pacific Affairs 82/2 (Summer 2009), 279. Also Arun Prakash, 'Strategic Policy-making and the Indian System', Maritime Studies 5/2 (Winter 2010), 22–31. Also Iskander Rehman, 'India's Aspirational Naval Doctrine', in Harsh Pant (ed.), The Rise of the Indian Navy (Farnham: Ashgate 2012). 2George Tanham, Indian Strategic Thought (Washington DC: RAND 1992), 50. 3Arun Prakash, 'The Rationale and Implications of India's Growing Maritime Power', in Michael Kugelman (ed.), India's Contemporary Security Challenges (Washington DC: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 2011), 80. 4Shiv Shankar Menon (Foreign Secretary), 'Maritime Imperatives of Indian Foreign Policy', Maritime Affairs 5/2 (Winter 2009), 15; Pranab Mukherjee (Minister for External Affairs), 'International Relations and Maritime Affairs – Strategic Imperatives', 30 June 2007, <http://meaindia.nic.in/mystart.php?id=530112961>. 5Atal Vajpayee, cited in Subash Kapila, 'India Defines her Strategic Frontiers', SAAG Paper 832 (4 Nov. 2003), <www.saag.org/papers9/paper832.html>; also Subhash Kapila, 'Indian Ocean: Strategic Imperatives for India to keep it Indian', SAAG Paper 5242 (4 Oct. 2012), <http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/node/1002>. 6Manmohan Singh, 'PM's Address at the Combined Commander's Conference', 24 Oct. 2004, <http://pmindia.nic.in/speech/content.asp?id¼37>. Also, David Scott, 'Indian "Footprints" in the Indian Ocean: Power Projection for the 21st Century', Indian Ocean Survey 2/2 (2006), 1–26. 7Manmohan Singh, 'PM Inaugurates Naval Academy at Ezhimala', 8 Jan. 2009, <http://pmindia.nic.in/speech-details.php?nodeid=751>. 8Nirupama Rao, 'India as a Consensual Stakeholder in the Indian Ocean: Policy Contours', 19 Nov. 2010, <http://www.maritimeindia.org/sites/all/files/pdf/FS_speech_at_NMF_Nov2010.pdf>. Also 'the Indian Navy (IN) has been playing a maritime leadership role in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) due to its multi-dimensional capabilities and active presence in the region', Ministry of Defence, Annual Report 2011–2012 (New Delhi: Ministry of Defence Citation2012), 34. 9Cited in Ministry of Defence, 'Indian Navy's Plan "IOR" Operations Demonstrate Reach of India's Maritime Diplomacy', 13 June 2012, <http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=84863>. 10Tanham, Indian Strategic Thought, 67. 11 Indian Maritime Doctrine (New Delhi: Integrated Headquarters. Ministry of Defence (Navy) 2004), 54, 71. 12 India's Maritime Military Strategy (New Delhi: Integrated Headquarters. Ministry of Defence (Navy) 2007), 129. 13Ibid., 72. 14Ibid., 131. 15Ibid., 10–11. 16Ibid., 71. 17Ibid., 49. 18Ibid., 67. 19Ibid., 117. 20Ibid., 41. 21Ibid., 41, 83. 22Ibid., 76. 23Seshadri Vasan, 'Maritime Dimensions of the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks on 27th November 2008', SAAG Paper 2957 (3 Dec. 2008), <http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers30%5Cpaper2957.html>. 24Toshi Yoshihara, 'Chinese Views of India in the Indian Ocean: A Geopolitical Perspective', Strategic Analysis 36/3 (May 2012), 489–500. 25Menon cited in Pratap Chakravarty, 'India Seeks Indian Ocean Supremacy with Warship Research', AFP, 5 Jan. 2011. 26Stephen Cohen and Sunil Dasgupta, Arming Without Aiming: India's Military Modernization (Washington: Brookings Institution 2010), 89. 27James Holmes, Andrew Winner and Toshi Yoshihara, Indian Naval Strategy in the Twenty-First Century (London: Routledge 2009), 82. 28'The 15 Major Spender Countries in 2011', SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, <http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/resultoutput/15majorspenders>. 29Anand McNair, 'Gujarat helps push India's maritime military strategy', Times of India, 7 July 2012. 30Sudha Ramachandran, 'Indian Navy pumps up eastern muscle', Asia Times, 20 Aug. 2011. 31Shyam Saran, 'India's Foreign Policy and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands', 5 Sept. 2009, <http://www.maritimeindia.org/sites/all/files/pdf/Shyam_Saran_Address.pdf>; Nirmal Verma, 'CNS Address on the Occasion of Commissioning of INS Baaz', 31 July 2012, <http://indiannavy.nic.in/print/1432>. 32Saran, 'India's Foreign Policy and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands'. 33Balaji Chandramohan, 'India, Maldives and the Indian Ocean', IDSA Comment, 13 Oct. 2009. 34'Mauritius offers India 2 islands in effort to preserve tax treaty', Times of India, 6 July 2012. 35Holmes et al., Indian Naval Strategy in the Twenty-First Century, 82. 36Pant, 'India in the Indian Ocean', 279. 37Nirmal Verma, 'Farewell Press Conference by Outgoing CNS', 7 Aug. 2012, <http://indiannavy.nic.in/cns-speeches/farewell-press-conference-outgoing-cns>. 38Six Scorpene advanced diesel submarines are being built, amid delays, for commissioning during 2015–2018. The nuclear-powered attack submarine, INS Chakra was delivered on a 10-year lease from Russia to the Indian Navy in April 2012. The indigenously-produced relatively small nuclear submarine INS Arihant is due for entry in 2013. Work on a second submarine (INS Aridhaman) started in 2011, with launch envisaged for end-2012. In 2012, work was also started on a third such indigenous nuclear submarine. 39Nirmal Verma, 'Address by Chief of the Naval Staff', 1 Oct. 2011, <http://indiannavy.nic.in/CNSSpeeches/CNSSpeech_01–10–11_Commissioning_of_INS_Shakti.pdf.> 40Defence Minister Antony quoted in 'Shivalik Frigates Strengthen the Blue Water Navy', 24 July 2012, <http://pib.nic.in/newsite/efeatures.aspx?relid=85491>. Also Rajat Pandit, 'India to boost 'blue-water' warfare punch with two new stealth frigates', Times of India, 25 May 2011. 41'Navy inducts stealth frigate INS Teg', The Hindu, 28 April 2012. Also Rajat Pandit, 'Navy packs a punch with stealth frigate INS Teg', Times of India, 27 April 2012. 42Cited in 'India Test Flies Naval Variant of LCA', IANS, 27 April 2012. 43Cited in 'Indian Navy Commissions Third UAV Squadron', UPI, 12 April 2012. 44Verma, 'Metamorphosis of Matters Maritime – An Indian Perspective', 25 June 2012, <http://www.indiannavy.nic.in/cns‐speeches/cns‐addresses‐iiss‐united‐kingdom‐metamorphosis‐matters‐maritime‐indian‐perspective>. 45Rao, 'Maritime Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy', 28 July 2011, <http://meaindia.nic.in/mystart.php?id=530117885>. 46'Now, a pan-Indian ocean operation for the Navy', The Hindu, 14 June 2012; 'Navy spreading its wings far and wide with warship deployments', Times of India, 14 June 2012. 47Ministry of Defence, 'Indian Navy's Pan 'IOR' Operations Demonstrate Reach of India's Maritime Diplomacy', 13 June 2012, <http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=84863>. 48Indian Navy, 'Reaching out to Maritime Neighbours' (2005) 1–2, <http://indiannavy.nic.in>. 49Indian Navy, 'Exercise TROPEX 12 - Defence Minister Visits Visakhapatnam to Witness Joint Exercise of Navy and Air Force', Press Release, 9 Feb. 2012, <http://www.indiannavy.nic.in/press‐release/exercise-tropex‐12‐defence‐minister‐visits‐visakhapatnam‐witness‐joint‐exercise‐navy‐a>. Also 'Tropex showcases naval might', Times of India, 9 Feb. 2012. 50 India's Maritime Military Strategy 59. 51Nirmal Verma, 'Maritime Strategy for an Emerging India', 17 March 2011, <http://indiannavy.nic.in/CNSSpeeches/CNSSpeech_17–03–11_DSSCWellington.pdf>. 52'India Deploys Warships in Gulf Region', Xinhua, 2 Sept. 2004. 53Naval officials cited in 'INS Viraat's "power projection" trip to Gulf likely', The Hindu, 3 March 2009. 54Pant, 'India in the Indian Ocean', 297. 55Arun Prakash, 'China's Maritime Challenge in the Indian Ocean', Maritime Studies 7/1 (2011) 1–16; Swaran Singh, 'China's Forays into the Indian Ocean: Strategic Implications for India', Journal of the Indian Ocean Region 7/2 (2011), 235–48. 56Yoshihara, 'Chinese Views of India in the Indian Ocean: A Geopolitical Perspective', 489–500. 57Sureesh Mehta, 'India's National Security Challenges', 10 Aug. 2009, <http://maritimeindia.org/sites/all/files/pdf/CNS_Lec_at_Habitat.pdf>. 58Nirmal Verma, 'India's Maritime Orientation and Contribution of Navy', 19 March 2010, <http://indiannavy.nic.in/cns-speeches/address-dssc-wellington-indias-maritime-orientation-and-contribution-navy>. 59Harsh Pant, 'China's Naval Expansion in the Indian Ocean and India-China Rivalry', The Asia-Pacific Journal, 18-4-10 (3 May 2010), <http://www.japanfocus.org/‐Harsh_V_‐Pant/3353>. 60See Rehman, 'China's String of Pearls and India's Enduring Tactical Advantage', IDSA Comment, 8 June 2010. 63 US Force Posture Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region (Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies 2012), 38. 61Donald Winter, cited in Sandeep Dikship, 'No strings attached to sales of ship', The Hindu, 29 March 2008. 62 Quadrennial Defense Review (Washington DC: Department of Defense 2010), 65. 64Robert Kaplan, 'Center Stage for the 21st Century: Power Plays in the Indian Ocean', Foreign Affairs 88/2 (March–April 2009), 24. 65Harsh Pant, 'China Shakes up the Maritime Balance in the Indian Ocean', Strategic Analysis 36/3 (2012), 364–8. Also, James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, 'China and the United States in the Indian Ocean: An Emerging Strategic Triangle?', Naval War College Review 61/3 (Summer 2008), 41–60; Rajat Pandit, 'India, US official discuss China's growing clout in Indian Ocean', Times of India, 15 May 2009; C. Uday Bhaskar and Kamlesh Agnihotri, Security Challenges Along the Indian Ocean Littoral: Indian and US Perspectives (New Delhi: Matrix Publishers 2011); David Scott, 'The 'Indo-Pacific' – New Regional Formulations and New Maritime Frameworks for US-India Strategic Convergence', Asia-Pacific Review 19/2 (Nov. 2012), 85–109. 66Also Ashok Sawhney, 'Indian Naval Effectiveness for National Growth', RSIS Working Papers 197 (7 May 2010), <www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/WorkingPapers/WP197.pdf>. 67Arun Prakash, 'Navy for the Future', Force (Dec. 2010), 14. 68'Maritime policy lacks strategic thinking: former Navy Chief', Hindustan Times, 8 Aug. 2012. 69Cohen and Dasgupta, Arming Without Aiming: India's Military Modernization, xii.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 35
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