We Will Attain Complete Self-reliance in the Near Future

- Mayank Singh

How has Indian Navy braced up against the rising threats, short term and long term? The Indian Navy is committed towards ensuring maritime security and stability in a complex maritime environment through presence and rapid response, proactive maritime engagement, capability building and cooperative maritime security.

Our force level planning is guided by the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan which has enabled capability enhancement and transformed the Indian Navy into a well balanced multidimensional force capable of protecting our national interests in the maritime domain.

Considering the unique nature of the maritime environment, wherein there are vast common spaces of the oceans that link even distant lands as maritime neighbours, the various challenges and security threats at sea can also flow rapidly from one maritime area to another. Accordingly, there is substantial scope for improving the maritime security environment for mutual benefit, through cooperation between maritime forces. Strengthening of peace, security and stability in the ‘global commons’ and in our maritime neighbourhood is in our national interest. The Indian Maritime Strategy envisages positive engagement with maritime forces from friendly nations to enhance mutual understanding, build interoperability and develop opportunities for maritime security cooperation. Cooperative maritime security and capability development of regional friendly nations are essential to counter the trans-national maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Closer home due impetus is being given to coastal security constructs and measures have been initiated to bolster the infrastructure as also the coordination between the various stakeholders to strengthen the overall security.

Indian Navy has played its diplomatic role with aplomb. How is it going to help India in the strategic sense?