The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : BUILDING A MODERN NAVY

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 19, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

BUILDING A MODERN NAVY

THE CHIEF OF the Naval Staff, Admiral Arun Prakash, has said that the Indian Navy has a long way to go to become a world power and this was mainly because of the lack of finances. But the fact remains that in recent years, the budgetary support for the defence forces and in particular for the Navy has been significant. Last year, the Naval budget crossed 17 per cent of defence allocations for the first time and it is just over 16 per cent this year. It is one thing for the Navy to be modern, to be fully equipped and prepared for the defence of the country. But it is totally another matter to want to become a world power. That may not be the objective of the Government of India, especially when there are so many pressing social and economic commitments to be met. Even at such a difficult juncture, successive governments have stepped up the budget allocation for the defence sector, keeping in view the various threat perceptions. Ultimately, the allocations and acquisitions are related to those perceptions rather than any ambition to develop the Navy or indeed any other wing of the armed forces into a world power.

As things stand, there are at least 19 ships, including two new lines of frigates, being built for the Navy and it may take a while for them to be commissioned. The aircraft carrier is also getting rebuilt and this will be a major phase of consolidation for the Navy, which lost quite a few vessels in recent years as they had to be decommissioned. The problem years were from 1985 to 1995, when the focus was perhaps on the Army and the Air Force. That was also the period when the Bofors howitzer deal, which triggered a major political scandal, was pushed through. But since then, there has been a momentum in favour of the Indian Navy, which is still continuing. The world over, air power seems to hold sway and most governments believe that air capability must be accorded top priority. It cannot be otherwise in India. This must be balanced with the imperative of maintaining an effective and efficient Navy, to guard the long coastline. The focus needs to be both on the security of India and on protecting its economic stake in such a vast water expanse with tremendous marine wealth.

What Admiral Arun Prakash is perhaps expecting is long-term commitment to sustained funding of the Navy — as a strategic priority. It does appear that the Navy and the ship building facilities in the country cannot absorb any more orders or investments at this stage. Now that a mid-Plan review is being undertaken by a high-profile Planning Commission, it should be possible for the armed forces, including the Navy, to project their requirements over the next ten years and seek a strategic investment plan. In particular, what the Navy has been seeking is the restart of the submarine production lines at the Mazagaon Docks. There has also been talk of acquiring one or two nuclear submarines to keep pace with developments in the region. There has to be an equal focus on maintenance operations and reports indicate that owing to a perceptible increase in the "outings" of naval ships, the Visakhapatnam yard has come under tremendous strain. It is time to prioritise the needs and focus on logistics and internal organisation to enhance the efficiency of the Navy. It must consolidate its strengths in the immediate region before raising its sights to global missions.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

BIHAR BASICS

BUILDING A MODERN NAVY

Why John Kerry lost

Polls in Palestine

The challenges before Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi