No deployment of warships in Pacific

NAVY CHIEF HOPES COUNTRY CAN DO MORE IN INDIAN OCEAN REGION

India yesterday said it was not considering any active deployment of its warships in the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea in particular in response to the US re-balancing its strategic focus to the Asia Pacific region.

“At this point of time, the Pacific and South China Sea are of concern to the global community, but in terms of any active deployment from our side, it is not on the cards,” Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said at his farewell press conference here. He will retire from service at the end of this month.

“It is true that major policy statements that have been issued by the US include future deployment in the Pacific. From our perspective, our primary area of interest that has been defined for us extends from the Malacca Straits to the (Persian) Gulf in the west, to down south to Cape of Good Hope,” he said.

However, he wished that India and its navy could do much more in the Indian Ocean region that it is doing at present.

“This is an area where we would like to do much more that what we are doing today. There is a fair amount that is happening and there is a fair amount of work to be done as far as the Indian Ocean region is concerned,” he said.

India has been actively patrolling the Indian Ocean region, considering that this area is its backyard and hence its responsibility.

Apart from anti-piracy patrols in the region, it is also actively helping smaller island states in the region to monitor its exclusive economic zone, as also in capacity-building of these nation’s maritime forces.