DEMONSTRATING SEA POWER

The recent twin CBG operations demonstrated India’s deeper understanding of the role that Sea plays in promoting its national interests, but the Navy needs a third Carrier

- SHEKHAR SINHA

When one talks of Sea Power in its totality, one is talking of a very important component of a country’s comprehensive national power. This is true, particularly for India, which is a peninsular nation and has 2 million sq km of Exclusive Economic Zone and 7500 kilometres of coastline.

The importance of Sea Power in India’s context becomes even more relevant if the reality of peninsular geography is factored in. Indian peninsula straddles some of the busiest sea lanes of the Indian Ocean which carries over 80% of the world’s oil trade and nearly $3 trillion of the world’s total trade.

95 per cent of India’s trade by volume traverses the Indian Ocean. All the major economies of the world such as China, Japan and South Korea are net importers of energy and most of it is routed over the Indian Ocean.

In today’s world, geopolitics hinges on energy security and therefore the waterways that facilitate world energy and trade movement. Any disruption must be seen as a hindrance to the prosperity of humanity. It is in this context that India’s recent twin CBG ( carrier Battle Group) operation gains relevance.