AFOVA New Letter 2 of Year 2021

Section 7 – Panorama CV 2 No. 02 / 2021 Page 236 of 332 A New Spring in Military Modernisation Winning the war in 1971 was a turning point for India. The abject despondency caused by the loss in 1962 gave way to a new found confidence. The importance of defending the country was understood at the levels which mattered. The result was some serious planning, resource allocation and strategizing, which saw virtually the entire Navy transforming itself from the mid-1980s. New ships, aircraft, submarines, Special Forces et al came flooding into the service, with an excellent mix of technology from around the world. Much thought and action was also lavished on charting a course towards achieving self-sufficiency in war equipment. Some of those lofty aims succeeded. Into the Dark Blue Oceans The Indian Navy’s journey into the dark blue oceans was remarkable. A fledgling Dominion Navy used to providing only Local Naval Defence for British interests till 1947, was increasingly present in the big oceans by mid 1980s. An impactful event that conveyed our newfound blue water capability was the visit of INS Godavari, the first indigenously designed and built modern ship to New York in July 1986 on the occasion of the bicentennial celebrations of the Statue of Liberty. We have not looked back since. Understanding the importance of sound intellectual underpinning in creating and wielding a powerful Navy, a formal book on Maritime Strategy was written during the mid-1980s, as its maiden doctrinal document. Later, as India’s prosperity, capabilities, interactions and aspirations increased, more elaborate documents were produced, which clearly laid out India’s maritime doctrine and maritime security strategy for the world to see. Naturally, this period saw a steady increase in the footprint of the Indian Navy in the world’s oceans. The Government too having understood the important role strong navies can play in expanding diplomatic ties, Indian Naval ships became a common sight in distant waters. Turning Benefactor The ten year long presence of Soviet troops in Afghanistan during the 1980s and the subsequent breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 completely changed the way competing powers were arrayed during the Cold War. With new enemies appearing on the horizon, the attention of world powers shifted from the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, to the Indian Ocean. The Western powers, who all of a sudden faced the requirement to understand the peculiarities of operating in the Indian Ocean, especially, mastering the all-important physical conditions of the Indian Ocean, had only one Navy to turn to. The Indian Navy. Meanwhile, in 1998, India had displayed its willingness and ability to maintain peace and good order in our region, through Operation Cactus. The Indian Navy’s role in this operation stood out for the world to take note. The result, was a quantum jump in the Navy’s international interaction, recognition and presence. This ultimately gave a Prime Minister of India the confidence to even announce to the world that India is a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.