The Hindu : `Peace initiative has no bearing on Navy'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 29, 2003

National

National

`Peace initiative has no bearing on Navy'

By Our Special Correspondent

KOCHI NOV. 28. The Navy Chief, Admiral Madhvendra Singh, has said that the Indo-Pakistani peace initiative that has led to the silence of the guns on the borders will not impact the Navy. ``The peace initiative will have no bearing on the Navy,'' Admiral Singh, who is also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, told newspersons here on Friday. He was here to open a gunnery symposium to mark the silver jubilee of INS Dronacharya, the Navy's only gunnery school.

He said the Navy's development plans would go on as scheduled irrespective of the peace initiative. This was because its plans were not dependent on Indo-Pakistani relations.

``Our responsibilities are larger, we operate in an international environment.'' India was a major Naval power and hence its programmes could not be confined to the borders.

The Navy was conducting joint exercises with several navies, including those of the U.S. and China. The one with China off Shanghai early this month was ``very, very significant.' ``It was the first time that the armed forces of the two countries were holding such an exercise.''

The Navy, the Army and the Air Force would jointly explore the possibilities of space for defence purposes.

``Joint venture is the way to go,'' he said. The Government had now allowed private sector participation in defence production. Possibilities of tie-ups with the private sector in other countries would be explored too.

Admiral Singh said he hoped the first batch of the BrahMos missiles, developed in partnership with Russia, could be inducted into the Navy by December 2005.

The ongoing development trials could be completed in six months which would be followed up with user trials.

He hoped that a deal could be struck with the Russians on the purchase of the aircraft-carrier Admiral Gorshkov. The Navy needed three aircraft-carriers as INS Virat would have to be decommissioned in a couple of years.

Earlier, in his keynote speech at the gunnery symposium, he said the Navy had to be in a position to influence land battle. Only by this way could it retain its relevance. India's was a mature Navy, and it now needed to discard its antiquated way of tackling missile attacks.

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

National