With the strategic objective to secure its area of interest, the Indian Navy at present has deployed more than 50 warships besides its long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. It is part of the navy’s mission based deployment which began last year.

Giving details of this operational placement of warships, submarines and aircraft, Navy officials said here on Tuesday the deployment stretches from the Persian Gulf to Strait of Malacca besides east coast of Africa. Moreover, its ships also continue to patrol the piracy prone Gulf of Aden as part of the international effort to tackle the menace. In fact, the Indian warships are engaged in the effort since 2008.

As regards mission based deployment, officials said these operations are not a one-time affair but a 24X7 effort on daily basis to have the Indian presence in the seas beyond its immediate neighbourhood.

Moreover, these ships carry out drills in the critically important Indian Ocean region where China of late is flexing its maritime muscle. More than 70 per cent of Indian trade including export and import pass through the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean thereby making it the responsibility of the Indian Navy to ensure security at all times.

The mission based deployments began last year and the Navy has also changed its doctrine by taking measures to reduce the timelines for maintenance and refit of ships to ensure round the clock operations far into the sea without any hindrances, they said.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Wednesday, 18 April 2018 | Pioneer News Service | New Delhi