India Need’s Maritime Security Doctrine

In these columns we had raised concern about the India’s maritime security and underlined that India will have to seriously explore the options to decimate the challenges in the sea. The Rising Kashmir had analysed that the sea borne attacks on the commercial vessels that includes the Indian carriers is an issue that has geo-strategic dimensions. The vessel carrying 22 people as crew that included nine Indians was attacked on 12th January. And it created a sensation in the strategic community on its implications in terms of national security and India’s business interests. At that time sensing the urgency of the attack, INS Visakhapatnam swung into action showing the alertness of the Indian Navy towards the security of our seas. INS Vishakhapatnam was undertaking anti-piracy petrol in the Gulf of Aden at that time. Now, it seems that this series of attacks on the private vessels is being normalised. A latest missile attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Marlin Luanda on 26th January that is on Friday night must raise the alarm bells. This time again there was a swift response from the Indian Navy when its guided missile destroyer INS Vishakhapatnam deployed in the Gulf of Aden swung into action. This vessel has 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew members on board. As per the Navy, the ship caught fire but no casualty or injury was reported. Navy has deployed INS Vishakhapatnam with its Nuclear Biological Chemical Defence Team that includes the fire fighting equipment’s for assisting in the fire fighting. Preparedness of the Indian Navy is appreciative. But the routine attacks on the merchant vessels must prompt the defining the operationalization of the maritime security doctrine. As we are entering a new phase of security challenge. Instead of reaction to the attacks. There needs to a proactive policy to prempt the enemy attacks. The reason being that the patrons of these terrorist acts are known to the international community now. The US Central Command in a post on the social media site X has said that the attack on the MV Marlin Luanda was perpetrated by Iranian backed Houthi terrorists. Claiming that one anti-ship ballistic missile was fired from Houthi-controlled areas   of Yemen. It went on to say that USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are active in rendering assistance to the affected vessel. This attack has taken place in less than ten days after the drone strike on a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel, MV Genco-Picardy. In such a situation India can’t bank upon reactive policy. There is an urgent need to take into confidence all the stakeholders in the seas that are being targeted by Houthis to curb their economic and energy interests. It is pertinent to mention that these attacks on the vessels ferrying oil and gases has gained momentum  with emergence of Israel-Hamas conflict in the West Asia  from the October 2023.Rea Sea has been the target of these terrorists. Especially, the attacks are targeted towards the ships bound for Israel. It makes clear that this series of attacks will persist till the Israel-Hamas confrontation is on. Keeping this in view, Indian Navy has operationalized INS Sunayna with its explosive ordinance disposal team to ensure the safety of the vessels. Presence of the Indian Navy’s patrolling teams in the central and north Arabian Sea does give confidence that such attacks will be minimised keeping in view the facility of  frontline destroyers ,frigates  and long range  maritime  patrol aircrafts. The deployments of a dozen warships  in the Arabian Sea by the Indian Navy that includes INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Kolkata, INS Chennai and Talwar Class Frigate  has added teeth to the Indian Naval defence system in the sea waters. Besides that P81 maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9B Predator drones and Dornier aircraft are constantly engaged in the surveillance of the vulnerable seas. One thing is clear that we are moving into an era of national security that needs a Maritime Doctrine to safeguard our frontiers.