An expert says a strong Indian navy would help to “deter China from military adventurism in the Indo-Pacific”
Much of India’s military development has been with assistance from Russia but it is now also looking to the Wes
India is planning to build a new fleet of 12 submarines and a third aircraft carrie
New Delhi, September 15,2022: In recent years, the focus of India’s military strategy has broadened, with a growing emphasis on building up its sea power.
India now spends up to $110 billion annually on its military, and the navy, which had been somewhat overlooked, has become an increasingly significant part of its armed forces.
Last week, it bolstered its naval power with its first locally made aircraft carrier — the $3.7 billion INS Vikrant — taking to the seas. According to the report published in abc.net.au
“The security concerns of the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region were ignored in the past but it is our top priority today,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi said at the vessel’s commissioning ceremony.
However, experts say this goal is being hampered by its lack of a significant domestic arms manufacturing industry.
What’s the state of play in the region:
India’s moves to build up its naval power come — not coincidentally — as China is rapidly building up its own.
Historically, the land borders with Pakistan and China have been India’s main concern and while they would continue to be significant, things had shifted,
India’s moves to build up its naval power come — not coincidentally — as China is rapidly building up its own.
Historically, the land borders with Pakistan and China have been India’s main concern and while they would continue to be significant, things had shifted, Ashok Sharma from the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre told the ABC.
from the ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre told the ABC.
In the past, it was all India–Pakistan border, India–China border, so the navy was ignored,” he said.
“It is the rise of the Indo-Pacific in strategic significance that has pushed India to invest more and more .”
Ian Hall from the Griffith Asia Institute said India remained the dominant sea power in the Indian Ocean, able to project its power into the South China Sea and even the Western Pacific.
But China in the past decade has gone from zero to three aircraft carriers in service, with plans to have a fleet of six in the near future.In total, it has more than 300 ships and is building another 50 or more.
