The situation on India's northern border has added to the security complexities, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Friday, even as he claimed that the Indian Navy was confident of defending India's maritime interests in the face of a belligerent China.
"Naval preparedness has helped in deterring any misadventure in the maritime domain," Admiral Kumar, who took over the reins of Navy on November 30, said.
Admiral Kumar, who was heading the Mumbai-based Western Naval Command, took over as the 25th chief of Navy, succeeding Admiral Karambir Singh, who retired after 41 years of service.
On Chinese navy attempting to increase its footprint in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), where it has been deployed for the past several years, Admiral Kumar said, "Chinese Navy has been in the Indian Ocean Region since 2008. We keep track of their deployments and what they do…. We have fairly good domain awareness in these waters. There is constant surveillance by our aircraft and ships, and their activities and deployments are kept under close watch."
The Chinese Navy has seven to eight warships at any given point in the IOR.
Speaking ahead of the Navy Day (December 4) on Saturday, the Navy chief said details of the proposed maritime command are being worked out, and indicated that its basic structure may come up in the first quarter of 2022. While acknowledging the significance of integration of armed forces, he said the appointment of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) had helped accelerate the decision-making process.
"The creation of the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) is the biggest reform in the military since Independence, along with the creation of the post of CDS. This enables faster decision making and fewer layers of bureaucracy."
He said the Navy is aware that the Chinese navy has built 138 warships in the last ten years." Our plans will factor in all the activities and deployments in the IOR. I want to assure you that the Indian Navy is confident of defending India's maritime interests."
Admiral Kumar said the Navy is also focusing on infrastructure development in island territories, which can act as a springboard for operational turnaround.
He revealed that 28 ships were commissioned into the Navy in the last seven years, all of which have been built in India. Of the 39 ships and submarines under construction, 37 are being built in the country under 'Make in India' initiative.
Admiral Kumar said the Navy has got Acceptance of Necessity (AoNs) for 72 projects worth around Rs 1.9 lakh crore, and of these 88 per cent are for indigenous systems.
He spoke about the Navy's ten-year road map, which includes the plan to have indigenous unmanned airborne, underwater and autonomous systems. The Indian military is in the process of acquiring 30 armed drones (ten each for Army, IAF and Navy) from the US.
On the Navy’s efforts towards gender inclusivity in the armed forces, Admiral Kumar said they had taken measures to provide opportunities and induct women in different capacities.
Twenty-eight women officers are already deployed on close to 10 warships, including major platforms like aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. The Navy aims to have at least two-three women officers on every warship, he revealed.
"We have taken measures to provide additional opportunities to women officers. The first women Provost officer joined in March this year. The Navy is ready to induct women in different capacities at par with male officers."
Women are being deployed on streams like logistics, armaments, medical, and pilot observers in the Navy.
The Navy participated in 22 bilateral and multilateral exercises this year. The scale and complexity of these exercises have also gone up, the Navy chief said.
