Indo-Pacific theatre spilling over to Ladakh?
1 May 2013 7:17 AM IST
There is a distinct sense of unease within the higher echelons of the armed forces with the Prime Minister endorsing the concept of ‘Indo-Pacific’ theatre, which, all this while, had remained in the imagination of strategists in the USA and their cohort members in India.
These officials do not see ‘Indo-Pacific’ as the ‘theatre of operation’ in the near future, as blue water ambitions of the Indian Navy remain the Indian Ocean Region or even more tighter a circle of ‘near abroad.’ Singh provided legitimacy to the concept during the recently held India-ASEAN summit held December last.
Singh’s idea had been that India could emerge as a regional guarantor of security for the ASEAN countries that are worried about China’s rise not being particularly ‘peaceful’ as its leaders had once promised. The spats of the handkerchief-sized islets in the South China like the Spratly, Paracel and Senkaku/Daiyou in the East and South China Seas, connecting the Indian Ocean with the Western Pacific, across Indonesia, have created tensions for Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan.
But the Indian officials feel, considering that the India has limited resources to deploy in the region, it could be needlessly provocative for China, causing incidents like even the latest overland, continental spat in Ladakh.
However, they also say the navy may not have to trouble itself too much to remain deployed for two-three months a year in the region, considering that it actually undertakes a series of exercises every year like Simbex with Singapore and Coordinated Patrols (Corpat) with Indonesia and Thailand etc.
With Japan, there are joint naval and air exercises, besides Tokyo joining up occasionally with the Malabar exercises, held essentially between India Navy and the US Pacific Command.
These officials do not see ‘Indo-Pacific’ as the ‘theatre of operation’ in the near future, as blue water ambitions of the Indian Navy remain the Indian Ocean Region or even more tighter a circle of ‘near abroad.’ Singh provided legitimacy to the concept during the recently held India-ASEAN summit held December last.
Singh’s idea had been that India could emerge as a regional guarantor of security for the ASEAN countries that are worried about China’s rise not being particularly ‘peaceful’ as its leaders had once promised. The spats of the handkerchief-sized islets in the South China like the Spratly, Paracel and Senkaku/Daiyou in the East and South China Seas, connecting the Indian Ocean with the Western Pacific, across Indonesia, have created tensions for Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan.
But the Indian officials feel, considering that the India has limited resources to deploy in the region, it could be needlessly provocative for China, causing incidents like even the latest overland, continental spat in Ladakh.
However, they also say the navy may not have to trouble itself too much to remain deployed for two-three months a year in the region, considering that it actually undertakes a series of exercises every year like Simbex with Singapore and Coordinated Patrols (Corpat) with Indonesia and Thailand etc.
With Japan, there are joint naval and air exercises, besides Tokyo joining up occasionally with the Malabar exercises, held essentially between India Navy and the US Pacific Command.
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