New Delhi: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday said his force is keeping a close watch on Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean and is fully ready to deal with any security threat even as he fully backed the ambitious tri-services reforms that included setting up of a maritime theatre command.
Addressing a press conference on the eve of Navy Day, he said the situation along India's northern border has added to the security complexities at a time the country was reeling under COVID-19 and that the scenario continues.
Referring to China's rapid expansion of its naval assets, the newly-appointed Navy chief said "it is not just the numbers that matter" as he highlighted the importance of strategy, operational plans and weapons to combat various threats.
"I want to assure you that the Indian Navy is a well-balanced force and is confident of defending India's maritime interests for sure," he said, responding to a volley of questions on the threat from China in the maritime domain.
"The Chinese activities and deployments are kept under close watch. We have our plans," he added.
Asked about the Navy's earlier plan of becoming a 170-ship force, he said a new scientific process to assess the requirement under a 10-year Integrated Capability Development Plan (ICDP) is underway following which decisions will be taken.
"It may be 230 (ships), it may be 300, the process is on. It is a scientific process. I cannot give you a number at this point. We will arrive at a decision following the completion of the process," he said.
The Navy had set a target to become a 170-ship force by 2027. At present, the Navy has around 130 ships.
Throwing his support to the theaterisation plan, he said it will take time and noted that it took the US military almost 50 years to put in place the joint command and control structures after it was rolled out.
"I would like to reiterate the Navy's wholehearted support for reforms in our higher defence organisation, and on enhancing tri-service synergy," he said.
"We are looking at the establishment of the 'Maritime Theatre Command' in the near future, which would further buttress 'Joint planning and Joint application of force' in the maritime domain. The details are being worked out and maybe finalised by the mid of next year," he added.
The Navy chief said the third stage of "war-gaming" is underway based on recommendations made in specific studies conducted on the theaterisation plan.
"In a nutshell, I would say that we are looking at a maritime theatre command where largely the command structures will remain in place with a lean theatre command organisation on top of it. The charter of this theatre command will largely be operational," he said.
The Navy chief said operational powers are set to be vested with the theatre commander.
"It may happen in six months, it may take a little longer. The timeframe will depend on how we address the complexities involved," he said.
The Navy chief said the year 2021, as the previous year, has been defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In addition, the ongoing security situation on our northern borders has added to our security complexities. This dual-challenge scenario continues as we speak," he said.
"In these testing times, the Indian Navy aims to stand steadfast in furthering our national and maritime interests. Our focus on maintaining combat and mission readiness resulted in deterring any misadventure in the maritime domain," he said without elaborating.
On the Chinese Navy's growing combat capability and presence in the Indian Ocean, the Navy chief said the ongoing developments and deployments in the region are factored into the Indian Navy's capability development plans and preparedness.
"We are aware of the developments of the Chinese Navy. They have built 138 ships in the last 10 years. Every nation is entitled to have its own capability development. We keep an eye on all developments in our area," he said.
"It is not just the numbers that matter. It is also about people, how you employ the weapons that you have, your strategy and your operational plans etc. There are a whole lot of issues," he said.
He said despite the complex security situation in the region and the adverse impact of Covid, the Indian Navy, as a cohesive team, maintained the operational tempo and ensured the security of
the country.