While keeping itself on high operational alert due to ongoing tensions along the border with China, the Indian Navy has simultaneously carried out Mission Based Deployment (MBD) to protect maritime interests by deploying naval ships and aircraft at major and sensitive locations, defence minister Rajnath Singh said.
Addressing the three day Naval Commander Conference (which began on Wednesday), defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “I have full confidence in the Navy’s preparedness to meet any challenge through a pro-active response in deploying its ships and aircraft."
The Mission Based Deployments concept, introduced in June 2017, transformed the operational philosophy to deploying mission-ready ships and aircraft along critical sea lanes of communications and choke points. These deployed ships are always ready to meet any eventuality across the spectrum of operations ranging from acts of maritime terrorism and piracy to HADR. The Mission Based Deployments enabled Indian Naval units to be the first responder in crisis situations and showcased Indian Navy as the main instrument in India becoming a Net Security Provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
Singh said the Indian Navy has effectively carried out mission-based deployment to protect maritime interests by deploying naval ships and aircraft at sensitive locations and "deployments have helped increase maritime domain awareness and provided rapid humanitarian aid".
Inspired by Prime minister Narendra Modi's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region),since the commencement of MBD in June 2017, these deployments have facilitated enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), provided swift Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) littorals and security to the international maritime community.
In the recent years, the Indian Ocean Region has gained significance due to the presence of key global maritime trade routes and the Chinese maritime vessels undertake patrols in the region, including under the pretext of anti-piracy missions.
And after the Galwan Valley clash on June 15, the Navy has increased its maritime exercises, even as the Chinese enhanced their presence in the Indian Ocean. Last month, the US Navy's USS Nimitz joined Indian Navy warships off the coast of Andaman & Nicobar island for a naval drill.
The Indo-US naval drill happened just after "Passex" or passing exercise of Indian navy with the Japanese Naval forces termed.
The Navy said in a statement that the conference assumes greater significance in the backdrop of recent events on the northern borders, coupled with the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19 and would provide the higher naval leadership a forum to discuss conduct of operations, sustenance and maintenance of assets, procurement issues, infrastructure development and human resource management among others.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, while referring to recent approval for emergency purchases upto Rs. 300 crore without any clearances, he said: "Notwithstanding the fiscal challenges, the government has invoked the emergency powers to meet the emergent requirements of the services." This is the first naval commanders conference since the creation of Chief of Defence Staff, the senior-most uniformed person of the country.
And on the unprecedented challenge posed by COVID-19, Singh referred to operation "Operation Samudra Setu" under which Indian citizens stranded overseas due to COVID-19 were brought back. In addition, under 'Mission SAGAR', the Navy provided medical aid to countries in South West IOR, Maldives, Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles and Madagascar.
