• From a naval veteran’s pen to the microphone

New Delhi. 04 December 2024. I am Commodore A.J. Singh, a submarine veteran and presently the Vice President of the Indian Maritime Foundation and also an Honorary Adjunct Fellow of the National Maritime Foundation. On the occasion of the Navy Day, which is celebrated on the 4th of December every year, I will attempt to provide a brief overview of the Navy’s role in projecting India’s image across the world and also highlight its contribution to nation building in the true sense of the term. However, before that, let me tell you the significance of why the 4th of December has been chosen as a Navy Day.

It was on the night of the 3rd and 4th December, 53 years ago, in 1971 to be precise, that the Indian Navy launched Operation Trident, which has gained renown as one of the most audacious naval attacks in the annals of naval warfare. Four missile boats escorted by three P-class corvettes and towed for part of the distance, delivered a debilitating missile attack which sank a Pakistani destroyer PNS Shahjahan, a Pakistan Navy mine sweeper PNS Muhafiz, a merchant ship carrying arms and ammunition from North Korea for Pakistan and with a fourth missile, the oil tanks of Karachi Harbour that left Karachi ablaze. This destruction of the Pakistan Navy within 48 hours of the war almost ended the war at sea before it had even begun.

The Pakistan Navy was totally stunned by this attack and could not believe that the small Osa-class missile boats could reach Karachi. Even after the missiles were fired, the Pakistan Navy thought that it was an aerial attack and continued firing their anti-aircraft guns. The naval leadership in Pakistan was left demoralized and the Pakistan Navy’s warships were directed to remain in harbour.

It was not only in the west but also in the east that the Indian Navy achieved total maritime dominance and contributed significantly to the liberation of Bangladesh. Fast forwarding to the present, the Indian Navy has never looked back. It has grown into a formidable multidimensional blue water force and is widely recognized in the Indo-Pacific region as a preferred security partner and a first responder in any crisis.

During the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, when Houthi rebels in Yemen began targeting ships in the Red Sea and the scourge of piracy began to rear its ugly head in the western Indian Ocean around the Bab-el-Mandeb Straits, the Indian Navy steered clear of the shooting war and took charge of counter-piracy operations. It not only executed and escorted numerous merchant ships safely, effected repairs on them, but also neutralized the pirates and brought the situation under control. This is just one example of the Indian Navy’s role as an effective instrument of India’s foreign policy in projecting Indian power across the oceans.

Equally significant is the Navy’s contribution to nation building in various domains across society. As India advances towards fulfilling its vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047, it will have to develop the industrial and manufacturing capacity as well as capability along the way through its own efforts at indigenization and self-reliance. Indigenization has been the hallmark of the Indian Navy’s development over the years.

In less than 50 years, since the first indigenously built frigate INS Nilgiri was commissioned in June 1972, it has transformed itself from a buyer navy into a builder navy. Other than two ships which are being procured from abroad, more than 50 other ships and submarines are at various stages of design and construction in Indian shipyards. India is only one of only six countries in the world to have successfully built an indigenous aircraft carrier and also a nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine.

The Navy is charting new waters in technology development by encouraging young minds to innovate using emerging disruptive technologies to provide our frontline platforms with cutting edge offensive capability. India is essentially a maritime nation with 90% of its trade by volume and over 80% of its energy requirements transiting over the sea. As India grows to a 5 trillion economy in a couple of years and a 10 trillion economy within a decade, the Indian trade volumes and energy requirements will grow exponentially with its secure passage being of paramount importance.

The criticality of the maritime domain was highlighted by the Prime Minister when he said in Mauritius in 2015 that the blue chakra in the centre of the Indian flag represents the centrality of the ocean economy for India. With security underpinning almost every activity in the maritime domain and India’s Sagar, which is an acronym for security and growth for all in the region, the Sagar policy, underwriting India’s approach to its strategic maritime imperatives, the Indian Navy will remain at the forefront of India’s big power aspirations. On behalf of Aviation and Defence Universe and myself, I wish all personnel of the Indian Navy, past and present, a very happy Navy Day 2024.

Shano Varuna. Jai Hind.