India needs to beef up coastal security, now
India is notorious for not learning from mistakes. The failure of our maritime security agencies has again been demonstrated with various incidents off Mumbai's coast.
The 26/11 attacks too thoroughly exposed the shocking gaps in India's maritime security mechanism.
Not for nothing has Defence Minister AK Antony been driving home the point that India's 7,516-km long coast needs to be protected much the same way as landlocked borders are taken care. Perhaps, the least noticed but biggest threat to Indian maritime security could come from the Chinese plan to build a deep sea port at Sonadia Island in Bangladesh. This strategically-located facility could in the long run provide China an easy access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Perhaps it could make good the Chinese plan to drop — for time being — the much touted project for a naval base at Gwadar in Pakistan. In the ultimate analysis, the Sonadia deep sea port would enhance Chinese energy and military security in all their manifestations.
This toehold, along with its presence in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, could very well be another component of China's 'string of pearls' strategy. However, right at the moment the noticeable threat to Indian maritime security originates from the notorious Sudanese sea brigands spreading their influence to the Arabian Sea area. In March, the Indian Navy and the coast guard nabbed Sudanese pirates operating west of Lakshadweep. "There were as many as 14 incidents of piracy near the Minicoy Islands in Lakshadweep recently," said Antony.
There is a palpable concern in India's defence establishment over the shifting of piracy southwards down the east coast of Africa and threatening Seychelles, Mauritius and Maldives, all of which can serve as an ideal base for promoting terrorist activities. On another front, reports that Maldivian nationals were being trained by Pakistan-based militant group clearly show a potential catalyst for maritime terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Navy is developing the Andaman and Nicobar islands as a major strategic post. Incidentally, as many as eleven Indian managed merchant ships were victims of pirate attacks in the international oceanic waters in the first half of 2011. Of course, the navy and coast guard have prevented a number of attacks by sea pirates in the past few months and apprehended over 100 pirates. The Indian Navy has been deploying ships since 2008 in the sensitive Gulf of Aden region, the hub of pirate attacks, for escorting merchant vessels. So far, Indian naval ships have escorted more than 1600 merchant ships successfully.
But then the possibility of pirates off the coast of Bangladesh targeting ships in the Bay of Bengal could be a matter of concern for India in the near future. For in recent years, the Bay of Bengal has emerged as a source of offshore energy for India. Not long back, pirate fishing vessels from Taiwan and Thailand operating in the Bay of Bengal were a common sight. India should also focus on a strategy for ensuring the safety of sea lanes in the strategically important Indian Ocean region through which half of world's maritime traffic flow.
A major step towards strengthening the coastal security is the ongoing project for installing radar sensors along the coastal stretch of the country. The Indian coast guard has been entrusted with the responsibility of identifying the ideal sites across the country for the installation of this surveillance radar device. Significantly, this radar sensor is equipped to detect objects at a distance of around 15-20 nautical miles. In addition to keeping a tab on big vessels, it will also help identify and detect smaller dinghies and boats sailing freely in the oceanic waters. The coast guard is also holding community interaction meetings with the fishermen in the coastal belt to create awareness about coastal security and involving them in the mechanism to safeguard the coastal stretch of the country.
However, the plan to set up coastal police stations is proceeding on a sluggish phase. It is planned to boost the operational edge of these coastal police stations through state of the art communications equipment and high speed boats.
All said and done, the immediate thrust of the Indian Navy, coast guard and other agencies involved in maritime security should be on ending vulnerability of the mainland India from the design of terrorists who make use of sea channels around India to give a practical shape to their evil designs. And on a larger canvas, in years ahead, the Indian Navy should build up capability and confidence to expand its reach to virtually every part of the high seas around the world in keeping with the emergence of India as a major military power.
India is notorious for not learning from mistakes. The failure of our maritime security agencies has again been demonstrated with various incidents off Mumbai's coast.
The 26/11 attacks too thoroughly exposed the shocking gaps in India's maritime security mechanism.
Not for nothing has Defence Minister AK Antony been driving home the point that India's 7,516-km long coast needs to be protected much the same way as landlocked borders are taken care. Perhaps, the least noticed but biggest threat to Indian maritime security could come from the Chinese plan to build a deep sea port at Sonadia Island in Bangladesh. This strategically-located facility could in the long run provide China an easy access to the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Perhaps it could make good the Chinese plan to drop — for time being — the much touted project for a naval base at Gwadar in Pakistan. In the ultimate analysis, the Sonadia deep sea port would enhance Chinese energy and military security in all their manifestations.
This toehold, along with its presence in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, could very well be another component of China's 'string of pearls' strategy. However, right at the moment the noticeable threat to Indian maritime security originates from the notorious Sudanese sea brigands spreading their influence to the Arabian Sea area. In March, the Indian Navy and the coast guard nabbed Sudanese pirates operating west of Lakshadweep. "There were as many as 14 incidents of piracy near the Minicoy Islands in Lakshadweep recently," said Antony.
There is a palpable concern in India's defence establishment over the shifting of piracy southwards down the east coast of Africa and threatening Seychelles, Mauritius and Maldives, all of which can serve as an ideal base for promoting terrorist activities. On another front, reports that Maldivian nationals were being trained by Pakistan-based militant group clearly show a potential catalyst for maritime terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian Navy is developing the Andaman and Nicobar islands as a major strategic post. Incidentally, as many as eleven Indian managed merchant ships were victims of pirate attacks in the international oceanic waters in the first half of 2011. Of course, the navy and coast guard have prevented a number of attacks by sea pirates in the past few months and apprehended over 100 pirates. The Indian Navy has been deploying ships since 2008 in the sensitive Gulf of Aden region, the hub of pirate attacks, for escorting merchant vessels. So far, Indian naval ships have escorted more than 1600 merchant ships successfully.
But then the possibility of pirates off the coast of Bangladesh targeting ships in the Bay of Bengal could be a matter of concern for India in the near future. For in recent years, the Bay of Bengal has emerged as a source of offshore energy for India. Not long back, pirate fishing vessels from Taiwan and Thailand operating in the Bay of Bengal were a common sight. India should also focus on a strategy for ensuring the safety of sea lanes in the strategically important Indian Ocean region through which half of world's maritime traffic flow.
A major step towards strengthening the coastal security is the ongoing project for installing radar sensors along the coastal stretch of the country. The Indian coast guard has been entrusted with the responsibility of identifying the ideal sites across the country for the installation of this surveillance radar device. Significantly, this radar sensor is equipped to detect objects at a distance of around 15-20 nautical miles. In addition to keeping a tab on big vessels, it will also help identify and detect smaller dinghies and boats sailing freely in the oceanic waters. The coast guard is also holding community interaction meetings with the fishermen in the coastal belt to create awareness about coastal security and involving them in the mechanism to safeguard the coastal stretch of the country.
However, the plan to set up coastal police stations is proceeding on a sluggish phase. It is planned to boost the operational edge of these coastal police stations through state of the art communications equipment and high speed boats.
All said and done, the immediate thrust of the Indian Navy, coast guard and other agencies involved in maritime security should be on ending vulnerability of the mainland India from the design of terrorists who make use of sea channels around India to give a practical shape to their evil designs. And on a larger canvas, in years ahead, the Indian Navy should build up capability and confidence to expand its reach to virtually every part of the high seas around the world in keeping with the emergence of India as a major military power.
No comments:
Post a Comment