Cruise missiles with a thousand mile range, launched from carrier aircraft, can take out an enemy vessel of any size. China has developed the capacity: they have a carrier and satellites that offer GPS guidance to rockets. Naval warfare is now obsolete, unless one is chasing pirates off Aden. We have spent a fortune on Karwar, to make the sea-lanes safe for Japan's oil tankers. Now nesting in Gwadar, Chinese submarines are hours away from Hormuz, placed to do what we are not positioned to obstruct. We may have lost the battle, even before it could begin. Was there a US quid pro: we were certainly not offered a break on the F-18, and were compelled to turn to France for the Dassault. Our tax payers now guarantee navy braids for at least one son in every Punjabi family.
________________________________ From: Constantino Xavier <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 2:35 AM Subject: [Goanet] Goan Ocean Goan Ocean The Goan, July 6, 2013 http://www.thegoan.net/View-From-Afar/Goan-Ocean/Column-Post/00258.html Washington’s policy and think tank circles are abuzz with naval strategies, maritime offense plans, and new oceanic denominations – the “Indo-Pacific” being a favorite. Part of America’s strategic shift towards Asia (commonly known as “pivot” or, in its more politically correct version, “rebalance”), and the sexiest project of all, is the Air-Sea Battle doctrine being developed to contain China and reassure American allies from South Korea to the Philippines. For history buffs, all this feels strangely familiar, reminiscent of the 1890s in which American geostrategist Alfred Mahan published “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783” just as, on the other side of the Atlantic, the United Kingdom and Germany engaged in one of modern history’s most ferocious shipbuilding race that eventually culminated in World War 1. At its heart was the coincidence of colonial expansionism, industrial modernity, and new geostrategic theories on the importance of controlling straits, seas and oceans. So when you see just the title of popular journalist Robert D Kaplan’s most recent book – “Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power” – you know what new areas of concern drive thinking not only Washington but also other strategic elites in Asia. India included, and not surprisingly. Long gone are the days in which a weak, isolated and Gandhian India lobbied at the United Nations for the IONZ – an Indian Ocean Zone of Peace, demilitarized and free of nuclear weapons. With a high-growth economy dependent on continued access to oil and goods, mostly via maritime routes, India today needs to develop its own capacity, whether to compete with China (short version) or to secure key sea lines of communication, combat pirates, and thus ensure that commercial vessels are able to freely access Indian ports through key choke points such as the straits of Malacca and Ormuz (long version). Being a historic port at the heart of Asian maritime exchanges, this is the perfect opportunity for Goa to reassume a central position in this wider Indian Ocean region that will undergo tremendous transformation. This bring many opportunities, including economic ones as maritime trade is expected to pick up and further expand Mormugao’s position as India’s seventh largest port (by cargo, 2010). As iron ore exports decrease, the port’s excellent harbor and connection to the Konkan Railway offer superb prospects. Goa Shipyard is also one of India’s largest, having built close to two hundred vessels for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, including several offshore patrol vessels and missile corvettes. Some of these were exported or donated to other Indian Ocean states such as Mozambique, Yemen or the Seychelles, all key partners if India wishes to secure its oceanic position and influence. On the military front, INS Kadamba at Karwar, India’s largest and only exclusively naval base, is located a mere 70 km South of Goa, and will further underline the region’s new maritime centrality and bring important economic benefits. Unless Goa succeeds in evicting the military and recovering the exclusively civilian status of its international airport at Dabolim, it will also continue to host INS Hansa, headquarters of India’s naval aviation, with eight squadrons, including the new MiG-29K’s Black Panthers, and in future possibly also a few new P8-I Neptunes. Goa now also hosts the new Indian Naval War College. The Mormugao port has also become a prized destination for visiting foreign vessels seeking rest and recovery, logistical stop-overs and for goodwill visits. Not surprisingly, Goa’s coast has in recent years become India’s hub for joint exercises, having repeatedly hosted Malabar (with US, Japan, Australia, Singapore), Konkan (UK), Varuna (France) and Indra (Russia). Finally, on the scientific front, by hosting the prestigious National Institute of Oceanography, Goa is also at the centre of Indian research on the immense Indian Ocean and how to explore and sustain its many riches – from mineral resources to marine biodiversity. And if you’re still not convinced about Goa’s immense potential in this rapidly changing geostrategic and economic context of the Indian Ocean: Kaplan mentions Goa eight times in his book. Previous columns: http://www.thegoan.net/Columnists/View-From-Afar
