Whither Indian Navy

Coupled with bureaucratic sloth and political myopia, India’s naval capability is on the wane. The much delayed Scorpene class is expected to enter service shortly and all six ships of the class will probably be available by 2030, but the successor Project 75I is still to get off the ground.

- CMDE Lalit Kapur

Year 2016 would appear to have been good for the Indian Navy (IN), with the commissioning of INS Chennai, Arihant, Kadmatt, Tarmugli and Tihayu. Kalvari and Kiltan are expected to follow before the end of this year. Taken together, these inductions paint a picture of an expanding Indian Navy, continuously strengthening its capabilities to defend India’s maritime interests. But is this picture real or illusory? Indian analysts and leaders, including some of the highest eminence, have often quoted Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan as having said, “Whoever controls the Indian Ocean (IO) dominates Asia. The ocean is the key to the seven seas. In the 21st century, the destiny of the world will be decided on its waters.” But no record can be found of where or when Mahan used these words. A study by the US Naval War College, the institution he headed for over four years, describes the quote as ‘of doubtful provenance’. As the IN celebrates its Navy Week, the task of this veteran maritime analyst is to examine whether the picture of a growing IN is real, to enable the reader to discern between political rhetoric and actual action, between ad hoc decisions and well thought out strategy.