New Delhi: Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Saturday said that the Indian Navy is keeping a close watch on all developments in the Indian Ocean, including the movement of Chinese Navy ships that operate in the region.
โThere are a lot of Chinese ships which operate in the Indian Ocean Region. We have about 4-6 PLA Navy ships, then some research vessels which operate. A large number of Chinese fishing vessels operate in the Indian Ocean Region. We keep a close watch on all developments,โ the Navy Chief said during an annual presser. He noted that nearly 60-odd other extra-regional forces are always present in Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
โWe are aware itโs a vital region where there is a large amount of trade which transits, energy flows which happen. Our job is to see that Indiaโs interests in the maritime domain are protected,โ he added.
These remarks come as Chinese spy ships have been spotted in the Indian Ocean Region. Indian forces are reportedly keeping a close eye on their movements.
The Navy chief said maintaining a credible deterrence is the task of any armed force, especially the Navy. โTo achieve that, we need to be ready to go in harmโs way at really short notice.โ
Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Navy is ready to โprotect, preserve and promoteโ Indiaโs national interest in the maritime domain. โTo achieve this, we have the vision of being a combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-proof force.โ
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Citing recent global events like the Russia-Ukraine war, he said India cannot stay dependent on the world for its defence requirements. He added that the government has given the Navy very clear guidelines on Atmanirbhar Bharat.
โRecent global events amply underscore that we canโt remain dependent on others for our own security requirementsโฆ Government has given us very clear guidelines on Aatmanirbhar Bharat and one of the Navyโs commitments to the top leadership is that weโll become an Aatmanirbhar Navy by 2047,โ he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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