Maritime Challenges & Indian Response

The Israel-Hamas conflict has exposed the new fault lines. And this time these are not restricted to the Middle-East. The decades old conflict that was indeed an issue having international ramifications was never seen a direct threat to the Indian interests. But things have changed. There has been a direct cause and effect relationship due to Israel-Hamas conflict. It is posing a security challenge to India and its neighbourhood. Indo-Pacific region is witnessing an emergence of new security calculus. The Rising Kashmir has argued many times in these editorials that there is change in war dynamics and the forms of war have changed. After engaging India in the Himalayas and posing serious threats to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of India in the Northern Frontier there has been an expansion of this conflict. China created a string pearls to strangulate Indian rise and reduce its sphere of influence. Now we are facing a new challenge and it has come down to the seas or the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).Traditional security narrative and apparatus is not enough to deal with this challenge. India’s maritime defence system has to be upgraded and made comprehensive. After the Iran supported terrorist attacks on the merchant vessels of India and other nations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden led by Houthis there has been a major upheaval. Indian Navy has alerted its fleet and activated its war ships to pre-empt any terrorist attack to damage Indian interests. The sea phase of the multi –nation naval exercise ”Milan” has commenced off the coast of Visakhapatnam with 35 war ships, submarines and 50 planes. Fifteen countries are participating with their warships and planes in this joint exercise. US, Russia, Iran, Japan and Australia have sent ships. France has sent the maritime plane. India is using its aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant and other war assets in this exercise. This exercise witnessed the participation of fifty one nations in the harbour phase of “Milan” that was conducted between 19th February and 24th February. While this phase of is witnessing the participation of only 15 nations.as per the Navy brief , the drill involves the advanced air defence operations, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface operations. The key task that been identified is the practice of tackling drone threats and the attacks on the ships around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This is indeed a very important development as it has brought all the stakeholder nations together to counter and neutralise the common challenges and create a secure maritime environment. This exercise should be seen as the emergence of India in terms of its growing strategic and geopolitical importance in the Indo-Pacific region. India’s consolidation of its maritime strategic assets in the seas will have a long term impact on the security calculus. It will surely outwit the terrorist threats that have emerged in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict. That is posing a serious threat with Houthis based in Yemen and supported by nations like Iran to the merchant ships. This issue is being discussed and deliberated upon in the harbour phase of the on-going exercise with a focus on anti –piracy. The harbour phase was aimed at promoting the cultural sharing amongst the participating nations and comprised an international maritime seminar, international city parade, a technology exhibition and sporting events. ”Milan” is a biennial multinational navel exercise that started in 1995 having the participation of four foreign countries. That included Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It aimed to strengthen the India’s strategic imperative to uphold its “Look East Policy”. This security apparatus will yield rich dividends as stakeholders have been engaged to secure the seas with India taking the lead.