A key document on the national maritime security doctrine will be deliberated by Indian Army commanders and other top officials from the Navy and the Indian Air Force during the Army Commanders conference to be held in the national capital next week.
Attended by all army commanders, the conference also hosts top Navy and IAF officials, depending on the agenda. A document mostly pertaining to the navy being placed before army commanders is in keeping with the ongoing national effort to integrate India’s three armed forces.
For more maritime and shipping news and views, visit: Maritime, Ahoy!
This occupies immense significance amid the conflict between the US and Iran and its subsequent fallout that has the global economy in turmoil, even as the maritime domain is in a state of disarray.
A top military source told THE WEEK during the second edition of the Tri-Service seminar ‘Ran Samwad’: “The doctrine is ready and will be placed before the Army commanders during the conference of commanders.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity.
During his address at the event, Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said: “We are keeping a hawk’s eye on all operations in the Indian Ocean. We have been monitoring exactly how many strikes US aircraft carriers are conducting.”
The US-Iran conflict has in particular impacted the key Hormuz Strait, which is a critical waterway for energy trade and the movement of ships and tankers carrying oil.
The two-day ‘Ran Samwad’ event is being held at the Air Force Training Command, Bengaluru, with the core focus of building a roadmap for preparing the Indian military for multi-domain operations (MDO), encompassing the land, air, sea, cyber, space and cognitive domains.
The source added that the doctrine will be primarily guided by the concept of jointness and integration of India’s armed forces, which is being defined by the existing era of “No War, No Peace” that will address grey-zone threats and be in alignment with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision for national maritime security.
Demonstrative of the Indian military’s adaptability and a holistic approach to new challenges that crop up, the new doctrine will replace the previous doctrine of 2025. The earlier versions of the doctrine were framed in 2004, 2009, and 2015.
Iran’s threat to strike out at vessels sailing through the narrow strait has resulted in about 1,000 ships being stuck in the Persian Gulf region, raising concerns in the global supply chains and energy markets, while maritime war-risk insurance premiums have surged hugely.
About half of India’s crude oil imports and almost all of its LPG imports pass through the Hormuz Strait.
