08-02-2007, 11:14 AM
Indian warships ready to head to West Asia
1 Aug 2007, 0258 hrs IST,Rajat Pandit ,TNN
NEW DELHI: Much more than Army and IAF, the much smaller Navy is keeping the Tricolour flying high on foreign shores in tune with India's growing geo-political and strategic interests.
After an ambitious overseas deployment in South-East Asia and the Far East in March-May, Indian warships will now head for West Asia in August-September to "engage constructively" with as many as six countries.
Then, of course, the Navy will take part in the huge five-nation wargames with US, Japan, UK, Australia and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal in the first week of September, in an extension of the Indo-US "Malabar" series of exercises.
Much to the Left's discomfiture, the gigantic nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which created waves when it anchored near Chennai in early July, will be participating in this exercise.
And so will another American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and nuclear submarine USS Chicago, apart from 20 other warships and several fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, in probably the largest amassing of deadly war machines in the Bay of Bengal since the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Though as many as 12 Malabar exercises have already been held with the US, apart from several joint search-and-rescue exercises, the Indian Navy is not apologetic about its deep links with its American counterpart.
"But the Indian Navy is not US-centric...we are India-centric. We exercise with many foreign navies to gain and share operational and doctrinal expertise, imbibe best practices and generate interoperability," said assistant chief of naval staff (foreign cooperation) Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan.
In this context, he pointed to the deployment of guided missile destroyers INS Rajput and INS Delhi, frigates INS Betwa and INS Beas, and tanker INS Jyoti to West Asian region.
1 Aug 2007, 0258 hrs IST,Rajat Pandit ,TNN
NEW DELHI: Much more than Army and IAF, the much smaller Navy is keeping the Tricolour flying high on foreign shores in tune with India's growing geo-political and strategic interests.
After an ambitious overseas deployment in South-East Asia and the Far East in March-May, Indian warships will now head for West Asia in August-September to "engage constructively" with as many as six countries.
Then, of course, the Navy will take part in the huge five-nation wargames with US, Japan, UK, Australia and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal in the first week of September, in an extension of the Indo-US "Malabar" series of exercises.
Much to the Left's discomfiture, the gigantic nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which created waves when it anchored near Chennai in early July, will be participating in this exercise.
And so will another American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and nuclear submarine USS Chicago, apart from 20 other warships and several fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, in probably the largest amassing of deadly war machines in the Bay of Bengal since the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
Though as many as 12 Malabar exercises have already been held with the US, apart from several joint search-and-rescue exercises, the Indian Navy is not apologetic about its deep links with its American counterpart.
"But the Indian Navy is not US-centric...we are India-centric. We exercise with many foreign navies to gain and share operational and doctrinal expertise, imbibe best practices and generate interoperability," said assistant chief of naval staff (foreign cooperation) Rear Admiral Pradeep Chauhan.
In this context, he pointed to the deployment of guided missile destroyers INS Rajput and INS Delhi, frigates INS Betwa and INS Beas, and tanker INS Jyoti to West Asian region.