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New Delhi, India will have two to five theatre commands by 2022, Chief of Defence Staff <keyword id="3969981" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Bipin-Rawat">General Bipin Rawat</keyword> said on Monday.<br /><br />He pointed that in the southern part of the country, India will have a Peninsula command by integrating existing naval eastern and eastern Naval command centres and the Jammu and Kashmir would come under a single be command theatre.<br /><br />The peninsula command under the Navy that will deal with maritime security should come in earlier as directive for a study is expected to be out by March 31.<br /><br />It would spread from Sir Creek in Arabian Sea to Sunderbans in Bay of Bengal.<br /><br />The study should be completed within three to four months and by the end of next year the command under one naval commander should start functioning, <keyword id="4020982" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="general-rawat">General Rawat</keyword> said.<br /><br />He also said that by end of the year a study for theaterisation or joint commands will be in place. By 2022 theatre commands should roll out. The number of theatre commands could vary from two to five, the CDS added.<br /><br />The Chief of Defence Staff is mandated to set up joint commands comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force -- in addition to two existing ones.<br /><br />There are 19 commands as of now and only two of these are tri-service commands. These are the Andaman and <keyword id="579051" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nicobar-Command">Nicobar Command</keyword> and the <keyword id="174799" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Strategic-Forces-Command">Strategic Forces Command</keyword>, which is in charge of nuclear assets.<br /><br />General Rawat added that there is an option of having either one command for China or two separate commands; one East of Nepal and another West of Nepal.<br /><br />Similarly for Pakistan, a separate command for J&amp;K is on the cards, while a separate one for the international border South of Jammu.<br /><br />While the Army and the Air Force have seven commands each, the Navy has three commands.<br /><br />It's felt that reducing the commands and making them function under one umbrella with representation from all three forces -- depending on the region and threat assessment -- will make the military more effective.<br /><br />China and the US function under this model, and there have been suggestions that the Indian military follows a similar tri-service command system.<br /><br />According to some of the recommendations, the commands can be reduced from existing 19 to 9 with a tri-service mix. This will also include the strategic forces command, cyber command and Special Operations Command.<br /><br />The Air Force will be the lead agency for <keyword id="2741154" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Defence-Command">Air Defence Command</keyword> that has already been announced.<br /><br />General Rawat said that March 31 the study will be completed and the report should be ready by April 10. The implementation order for the air defence command is expected by year end, General Rawat said.<br /><br />He also said joint training, and uniformity in procurement procedures will be a key priority.<br /><br />

Indian defence to work under theatre commands just like US and China

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Disputes between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> over their border in the Himalayas have intensified in recent months, after a deadly clash between their troops in June.</li><li>That adds to broader competition between India and China on land and at sea around Asia, but recent military agreements with the US allow India to watch rival Chinese forces more closely.</li></ul><p>As tension between India and China has increased in recent months, the US military has helped India keep an eye on Chinese forces, senior US military commanders said in November.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/indian-troops-unarmed-and-surprised-in-china-clash-families-say-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deadly brawl</a> on India and China's disputed border in the Himalayas in June was their first such clash in decades. Since then both have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-photos-show-border-buildup-after-deadly-china-india-clash-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reinforced their positions</a>, and India has had help monitoring Chinese forces.</p><p>"From the real-world standpoint, we've gotten closer this year with India, especially on the <keyword id="656002" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Intelligence-sharing">intelligence sharing</keyword>, particularly related to the situation that's occurring on their northeast border with China," Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, head of US Pacific Air Forces, said at an event in November.</p><p>"We've been doing quite a bit of intelligence sharing, as much as we can, with them to help out our great friend, India," added Wilsbach, who took command in July.</p><div type="image" title="India troops soldiers Ladakh" height="1333" width="2000" msid="79885495" hostid="261"></div><p>That sharing likely has been facilitated in recent weeks by the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, a military agreement the US and India signed in late October.</p><p>BECA "will allow us to expand our partnership and exchange foundational information," Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the US signatory on the deal, said at <a href="https://www.cfr.org/event/conversation-vice-admiral-robert-sharp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a separate event</a> last month.</p><p>BECA gives India access to topographical, nautical, and aeronautical data and allows the US to provide advanced navigational aids and avionics, a defense industry source <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-asia/india-u-s-set-for-military-pact-on-satellite-data-during-pompeo-visit-idUSKBN27711P" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Reuters</a> ahead of the signing. Geospatial data provided under the deal will give Indian missiles "<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/beca-the-deal-that-will-make-indian-missiles-deadlier-has-finally-been-signed/articleshow/78885862.cms#:~:text=India%20and%20the%20US%20inked,information%20between%20the%20two%20countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a killer edge</a>" in targeting, as one Indian media outlet put it.</p><p>"That exchanging and sharing of foundational information is a good basis to start to operate ... off the same map," Sharp said.</p><h2>Crossing the hump</h2><div type="image" title="India runway Port Blair Andaman Nicobar Islands" height="903" width="1400" msid="79885496" hostid="261"></div><p>BECA is the fourth of four foundational agreements. A 2002 deal allowed sharing of classified military information. A 2016 logistics deal allows each military to use the other's facilities for repair or resupply. A third deal in 2018 gave India access to secure communications equipment, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-india-comcasa-deal-improves-ability-to-communicate-and-track-subs-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allowing closer coordination</a> with US forces.</p><p>There have already been demonstrations of cooperation under these deals. US ships have refueled Indian warships, and a US maritime patrol aircraft recently refueled in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern <keyword id="12350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Indian-Ocean">Indian Ocean</keyword>, which the US government called "<a href="https://www.dla.mil/AboutDLA/News/NewsArticleView/Article/2397837/us-aircraft-inaugural-refueling-in-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a historical event</a>."</p><p>The agreements are a sign of India softening the strict non-aligned stance it held throughout the Cold War, which is driven in part by recent US overtures and Chinese aggressiveness.</p><p>"These two complimentary forces, I think, are pushing India toward sort of more overt balancing activities and more confidence in establishing a meaningful strategic partnership with the US," said Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation think tank.</p><p>The shift reflects "a revolution in the way that India views the world and aligns with partners in Asia," Hervé Lemahieu, director of the Power and Diplomacy Program at Australia's Lowy Institute think tank, said in October.</p><p>India "has chosen to align itself with the United States far more assertively, and with countries like Australia, with whom it doesn't really have much of a traditional relationship," Lemahieu told Insider.</p><p>Disputed land borders with Pakistan and China are likely to remain the Indian military's major focus, but New Delhi is increasingly active in the Indian Ocean - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-border-clashes-could-cause-more-indian-ocean-activity-2020-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">where China's military and diplomatic presence is growing</a> - bolstering its own forces as well as its cooperation with others.</p><div type="image" title="India Navy guided-missile cruiser Princeton destroyer Chennai" height="1333" width="2000" msid="79885506" hostid="261"></div><p>The meeting where BECA was signed also reportedly included a maritime information-sharing agreement, allowing India to better track activity in the Indian Ocean. India's Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region, set up two years ago, now has <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/expanding-outreach-indian-navy-ties-up-with-21-nations-for-maritime-awareness-346490" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21 countries sharing</a> information on maritime activity in the area.</p><p>Indian foreign aid, meant to counter Chinese lending, also continues to flow despite recent economic headwinds. "That tells you, I think, how important building these relationships are to India in terms of countering China in the region," Rani Mullen, a professor at William and Mary and expert on South Asia, <a href="https://www.hudson.org/events/1901-video-event-partnering-in-the-indo-pacific122020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at a recent think-tank event.</p><p>India is "is deepening its defense diplomacy" and "being more ambitious" with those partnerships, Lemahieu said, but there are still questions about how India will apply the agreements it spent two decades negotiating with the US.</p><p>"We went on for years negotiating over the dots and the T's ... and I guess in some ways it's a good thing that we've crossed that hump," Ashley Tellis, an expert on <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> security at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said at an event in November.</p><p>"Now the question to my mind is, OK, you've done the agreements. What are you going to do about them? How are you actually going to implement them?" Tellis added. "This is where I think India still has a long ways to go."</p><p>In the weeks since signing BECA, India has leased two US-made MQ-9B surveillance drones to monitor its maritime and land boundaries, an acquisition facilitated by policy <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-arms-trump/u-s-relaxes-rules-to-export-more-aerial-drones-idUSKCN24P2IC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">changes</a> in both <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-leases-hi-tech-us-naval-drones-to-boost-surveillance-intel/story-NeW0gNA1HYJ44V3m9C5qAL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">countries</a>. Those exchanges and others under the foundational agreements will likely inspire more trust, feeding a "virtuous cycle," Smith said.</p><p>"In many cases, India benefits more than the US does from these military cooperation agreements," Smith told Insider. "The practitioners are operationalizing these agreements and realizing that it brings real benefit to India."</p>

The US is helping India keep an eye on China's military, top US commanders say

<br />
There have been instances when Chinese nuclear and conventional submarines have popped up in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which is why India has deployed its latest long-range maritime patrol aircraft and spy drones at its forward military base located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.<br />
<br /> ET sources from the defence ministry said that two of the country's most potent submarine hunters/killers, the naval Poseidon-8I aircraft, are soon completing their first-ever two-week deployment to the strategically located <keyword id="2153718" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Andaman-and-Nicobar-archipelago">Andaman and Nicobar archipelago</keyword>.<br />
<br />
"Navy and IAF are also deploying their (Israeli) Searcher-II unmanned aerial vehicles to the islands on a temporary basis," a source told ET.<br /> Eight P-8I aircraft, which were acquired under a $2.1 billion deal that was inked in January 2009 with US aviation major Boeing have been inducted at the INS Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam (Tamil Nadu). These <keyword id="3212406" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="P-8Is">P-8Is</keyword> have an operating range of over 1,200 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 907 kmph and are radar-packed. They would serve as "intelligent hawk-eyes" in gathering intelligence and detecting threats in the IOR.<br />
<br /> Armed with deadly <keyword id="1674224" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Harpoon-Block-II-missiles">Harpoon Block-II missiles</keyword>, <keyword id="1674225" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="MK-54-lightweight-torpedoes">MK-54 lightweight torpedoes</keyword>, rockets and depth charges, they can neutralize enemy submarines and warships if required.<br />
<br />
"The case for acquisition of another four P-8Is is in the final stages. P-8Is can operate from Port Blair (naval air station INS Utkrosh) to keep tabs on the entire region," the source confirmed.<br />
<br />
Even after this much-needed operational requirement, India's first and only theatre command in the shape of Andaman &amp; Nicobar Command (ANC) stands to suffer from relative neglect, despite the top priority that was given to it by the Modi government. To ensure that ANC, with requisite military force-levels and infrastructure, acts effectively as a pivot to counter China's strategic moves in IOR, there is still a lot that is yet to be done.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.militaryimages.net/media/indian-navy-kilo-class-submarine-ins-sindhukirti.15153/full">Image source</a><br />

<em>Image for representational purpose only</em>

India deploys submarine hunters to tackle China's submarines in the Indian Ocean

Apart from purchasing Apache and Chinook helicopters from the US, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Indian+Air+Force+%28IAF%29+">Indian Air Force (IAF)</a> is also going to extend its fully-automated air surveillance and defence network in the entire country.<br />
 <br /> The <keyword id="80629" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cabinet-Committee-on-Security">Cabinet Committee on Security</keyword>, apart from the $3 billion purchase of choppers from the US, has also cleared an almost Rs 8,000 crore project for extension of the IAF's defence network.<br />
 <br />
The aim is to ensure any intrusion by a hostile aircraft, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=helicopter%2C+drone+">helicopter, drone</a> or micro-light to be detected and tackled as soon as it takes place.<br />
 <br />
According to a source, the composite air picture would be available in real-time at centralised locations and the national command post.<br />
 <br />
The country will have better surveillance system with the help of  integrating all airborne and ground-based civilian and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=military+radars">military radars</a>.<br />
 <br />
The IAF has already set-up five nodes of the integrated air command and control system (IACCS) in the western sector facing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Pakistan+">Pakistan</a> at Barnala (Punjab), Wadsar (Gujarat), Aya Nagar (Delhi), Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Ambala (Haryana) with help from defence <keyword id="437887" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="PSU-Bharat-Electronics">PSU Bharat Electronics</keyword>.<br />
 <br />
There is now a plan to establish four new major nodes and 10 sub-nodes under Phase-II of the IACCS. While three nodes will be in eastern, central and southern India, the fourth is meant for the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago.<br />
 <br />
Some of the new nodes will be located in underground complexes to improve survivability in face of enemy attacks, even as the entire IACCS infrastructure is also being upgraded with advanced early-warning, jam-resistant radars and the like.<br />
<br />
(Image: Indiatimes)  <br />

Rs 8000 cr for the Indian Air Force to get a better radar system to detect hostile aircraft, drone or even micro-light!

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>India and China, the world's two most populous countries, have a long history of conflict.</strong></li><li><strong>In recent years, India has been watching China's navy expand into the Indian Ocean.</strong></li><li><strong>Now New Delhi plans to bolster its fleet in order to keep an edge in the ocean it abuts on two sides.</strong></li></ul><p>India has watched warily as China's navy has ventured into the Indian Ocean, and now New Delhi plans to expand its navy to keep its edge in the ocean with which it shares a name.</p><p>India's navy <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2018/12/04/India-to-add-56-warships-six-submarines-to-naval-fleet/2151543950800/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently</a> has 140 warships and 220 aircraft, and navy chief Adm. Sunil Lanba <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday that there are 32 ships and submarines under construction in Indian shipyards</p><p>Delhi has also approved the construction of another 56 warships and six submarines, part of a 10-year plan. "By 2050, we will also have 200 ships, 500 aircraft and be a world-class navy," Lanba <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba-5477138/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>One of those six submarines will be from Project-75I, a $12 billion initiative to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquire advanced subs</a> equipped with air-independent-propulsion systems that allow nonnuclear subs to operate without atmospheric oxygen, replacing or augmenting diesel-electric systems.</span></p><p><span>Lanba also said that the second of India's Scorpene-class diesel-electric subs had been through the needed trials and would be commissioned soon. The first of the class was inducted in December 2017.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-growing-submarine-force-worrying-pacific-us-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China's growing submarine force is 'armed to the teeth' - and the rest of the Pacific is racing to keep up</a></em></strong></p><p><span>India said in November that is first domestically built nuclear-powered missile sub, INS Arihant, had completed its first deterrence patrol, giving the country the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-india-says-nuclear-submarine-makes-first-patrol-modi-warns-against-misadventure-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ability to fire nuclear weapons</a> from land, air, and sea. </span></p><p><span>The Arihant was a message to rivals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the time: "Don't try any misadventure against India."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Lanba also said on Monday that plans to produce India's second domestically built aircraft carrier had "received the necessary impetus," <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to The Economic Times. The Indian Express <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba-5477138/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the government is wary of the cost of a third carrier but that Lanba had said "the cost is justified in the Combat Battle Group."</span></p><p><span>India's first carrier, INS Vikramaditya, is a modified Kiev-class carrier purchased from Russia. </span><span>The first domestically built aircraft carrier, the second overall, is under construction and is expected to undergo sea trials in three years, Lanba said.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-india-talk-logistics-and-base-sharing-deal-amid-china-tensions-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 of Asia's biggest militaries are working on a deal that could give them an edge over China</a></em></strong></p><p><span>The third carrier will take seven to 10 years to build, Lanba said, but it would allow India to operate two carriers at all times, complementing India's submarine force.</span></p><p><span>"A submarine is for 'sea denial,' while the a carrier battle group is for sea control," Lanba said. "Carrier battle groups will enhance the navy's role in the" Indian Ocean Region.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Delhi's efforts to enhance its position in the Indian Ocean are not limited to ships.</span></p><p><span>A naval air station in the northern Andaman and Nicobar Islands boosts connectivity in the region and improves surveillance in the area. The islands are west of the Malacca Strait, through which much of the shipping between the Indian and Pacific oceans passes - including Chinese subs. </span></p><p><span>India has <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/To-fight-Chinas-Andaman-and-Nicobar-forays-India-deploys-submarine-hunters/articleshow/50632020.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">already deployed</a> its variant of the advanced US P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the islands.</span></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">With an eye on China, India is looking to buy more US-made advanced sub-hunting planes</a></em></strong></p><p>Negotiations are <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underway</a> to build a naval base in the Seychelles, at the opposite end of the Indian Ocean. In addition to exercises with partners in the region, the navy is conducting patrols with the Maldives, where India appears to have come out ahead in <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/24b0bb54-c22d-11e8-95b1-d36dfef1b89a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a geopolitical struggle</a> with China.</p><p><span>"In Maldives, there is a government which is favourable to India. We are providing [exclusive economic zone] patrols with Maldives. We continue to do so ... we will move forward in all discussions, not only in maritime," Lanba <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-looking-at-inducting-56-warships-and-submarines-admiral-lanba/articleshow/66917971.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Monday.</span><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66917971.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>Delhi has been<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> tracking Chinese subs</a> entering the Indian Ocean since 2013. Lanba's comments come as China's warships grow increasingly active there.</span></p><p><span>At any time, Lanba said Monday, there are six to eight Chinese navy ships in the region: a three-ship anti-piracy force in the Gulf of Aden and three to four survey vessels. </span><span>"In October, a Chinese submarine was deployed and spent a month in the Indian Ocean," he added. "All this was in 2018."</span><a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66917971.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></p><p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-subs-better-than-chinese-subs-but-it-may-not-matter-in-a-conflict-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US submarines are better than China's 'by far,' but in a war that may not matter</a></em></strong></p><p><span>India's Eastern Fleet commander Rear Adm. D.K. Tripathi said Wednesday that India's navy had over the past year moved to mission-based deployments to maximize their time at sea. </span></p><p><span>"We are monitoring all that is happening in the Indian Ocean," he <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/navy-monitoring-all-happenings-in-indian-ocean/articleshow/66956758.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> when asked about the presence of other navies.<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/66956758.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst"></a></span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p><span>India has a long history of tension with its northern neighbor, including several wars over a disputed boundary in the Himalayas.</span></p><p><span>For now, the land border remains the Indian military's primary focus, as the army is the dominant wing of the armed forces, Faisel Pervaiz, a South Asia expert at the geopolitical-analysis firm Stratfor, told Business Insider in October. </span></p><p><span>But Chinese naval activity, as well as diplomatic overtures through Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, have worried Delhi.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div></span></p><p>"For India, the concern now is that although it maintained this kind of regional hegemony by default, that status is beginning to erode, and that extends to the Indian Ocean," Pervaiz said. "India wants to maintain [its status as] the dominant maritime power in the Indian Ocean, but ... as China's expanding its own presence in the Indian Ocean, this is again becoming another challenge.</p><p><span>On Monday, when asked to compare to the Indian navy to those of China and Pakistan, Lanba <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/second-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-got-necessary-impetus-says-navy-chief-admiral-sunil-lanba/story-DV0HoMadxIxdg65EsNoHAL.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Delhi was still on top where it mattered.</span></p><p><span>"As far as the Indian Navy is concerned, we have only one front. And that is the Indian Ocean. We have overwhelming superiority over Pakistan navy in all fields and domains. In the Indian Ocean region, the balance of power rests in our favor compared to China."</span></p>

India is beefing up its navy to counter China's increasingly powerful fleet

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images / Thomas Peter-Pool</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>China and its neighbors have been rapidly enhancing their militaries in recent years.</strong></li><li><strong>Countries in the region, worried about Beijing and uncertain about the US, are also looking to boost cooperation with each other.</strong></li><li><strong>Beijing is in an advantageous position and can wield considerable influence.</strong></li></ul><p>Military spending has ramped up in Asia, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-weaponizing-capital-us-navy-chief-awake-at-night-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led by China</a>, whose addition of submarines to its fleet has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-growing-submarine-force-worrying-pacific-us-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired similar ambitions</a> among its neighbors.</p><p>Beyond hardware, however, countries in Asia are also reassessing the balance of power in the region, contemplating how to engage China and what role the US - long a guarantor of security and trade in the region - will play in the region <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/us-allies-arent-buying-its-new-strategies-to-confront-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">going forward</a>.</p><p>"Everyone out in Asia is, on one hand, scared of China, and, the other hand, they need China for trade," Mike Fabey, author of the 2017 book "<a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Crashback/Michael-Fabey/9781501112041" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crashback</a>," about tensions between China and the US in the Pacific, told Business Insider. "Also there's a real sense of, 'China's right here. America's on the other side of the world.'"</p><p>Officials in the region felt the Obama administration "was letting China slide with a few things here and there" to secure cooperation, or at least noninterference, from Beijing on other issues, like the Paris climate accord, Fabey said. "But even with that, there was still definitely a feeling, 'Hey, America's got our back.'"</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andrew Harnik/AP</span></p><p class="caption">President Donald Trump with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the ASEAN-US 40th Anniversary commemorative summit in Manila, November 13, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The Trump administration has referred to the region as the "Indo-Pacific," in what is likely meant to be a rhetorical <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/07/trump-asia-indo-pacific-244657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">swipe</a> at China, though it also <a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/new-order-indo-pacific/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points to</a> the region's maritime dimensions. But, Fabey said, "with the recent administration, there's much more of a feeling now in the Western Pacific, even from folks like Australia, who are really wondering exactly how far America would go now if China were to do anything."</p><p>That has translated into greater interest in local partnerships.</p><p>"You're starting to see Australia, Japan, and India, for example, there's a new emerging trilateral out there, and that they're counting the US out. The US is involved," Fabey said, but there's now more of a feeling of, "'We're on our own more, at least we should act like we're on our own more, and we'll do it without the US if we have to.'"</p><h2>'They're very good at playing that card'</h2><p>First proposed in 2007, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, made up of the US, Japan, Australia, and India, <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2017/11/rise-fall-rebirth-quad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gained new life</a> last year, when officials from those countries <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2017/11/us-japan-india-and-australia-hold-working-level-quadrilateral-meeting-on-regional-cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met to discuss</a> a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and seven core themes, including freedom of navigation, maritime security, and a rules-based order in the region.</p><p>Some members of the Quad have tread carefully out of concern about China, which <a href="https://amp.afr.com/news/australia-mulls-rival-to-chinas-belt-and-road-with-us-japan-india-20180216-h0w7k5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protested</a> its restoration. India has also expressed <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/beyond-big-game-hunting/article19988330.ece/amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reticence</a> about the partnership - in part over concerns about its own <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-usa-quad/indian-navy-the-odd-man-out-in-asias-quad-alliance-idUSKBN1DM0UB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">autonomy</a> as well as <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2017/11/rise-fall-rebirth-quad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doubts</a> about the other three countries' approaches to China.</p><p>"China likes to play the card, 'Look, you're Asian. We're Asian. Quite honestly, no Western power is going to protect your Asian rights out here ... You can't depend on the West to do that,'" Fabey told Business Insider. "And they're very good at playing that card."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>(US Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Preston/Released)</span></p><p class="caption">A US sailor aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard gives a tour to Indian sailors during Malabar 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But cooperation between countries in the region continues, with an eye on securing and enhancing trade and security.</p><p>Japan has <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/09/japan-takes-the-lead-in-countering-chinas-belt-and-road" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased efforts</a> to counter <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-weaponizing-capital-us-navy-chief-awake-at-night-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China's Belt and Road initiative</a>, ramping up international partnerships and investments - including in Sri Lanka, where a recent Chinese port project has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/indias-concern-with-beijing-expansion-grows-with-sri-lanka-port-deal-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">angered India</a>.</p><p>Australia has <a href="https://amp.afr.com/news/australia-mulls-rival-to-chinas-belt-and-road-with-us-japan-india-20180216-h0w7k5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">followed suit</a>, talking to the US, India, and Japan about a joint regional infrastructure program <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-beltandroad-quad/australia-u-s-india-and-japan-in-talks-to-establish-belt-and-road-alternative-report-idUSKCN1G20WG" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to rival</a> Beijing's outreach.</p><p>Australia, India, and Japan have been pursuing a trilateral partnership since late 2015, aimed at ensuring "<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/australia-japan-and-india-trilateral-in-delhi-on-december-12/articleshow/61840323.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open and free</a>" movement in the region and advancing their shared interests.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/malabar-2017-photos-of-us-india-and-japan-war-games-in-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Malabar 2017 exercises</a> last summer, in which India, Japan, and the US took part, emphasized antisubmarine warfare - including submarine-on-submarine exercises. "Nowhere else does the American navy do that," Fabey noted, saying cooperation between US and Indian navies "is unlike any other in the world." (While New Delhi blocked Australia's participation in Malabar 2017, their <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> cooperation has <a href="https://warontherocks.com/2017/11/rise-fall-rebirth-quad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">progressed</a>.)</p><p>India and Japan did <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-japan-begin-three-day-anti-submarine-drill-amid-concerns-over-china-117102900541_1.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three days</a> of antisubmarine exercises in the Indian Ocean in October.</p><p>In March, Vietnam's president visited India, where the leaders of the two countries put out a <a href="http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/29535/IndiaVietnam+Joint+Statement+during+State+visit+of+President+of+Vietnam+to+India+March+03+2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> pledging to continue defense cooperation. Two days later, US carrier made <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2018/03/05/a-u-s-aircraft-carrier-arrived-in-vietnam-for-the-first-time-since-the-fall-of-saigon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a port call</a> in Vietnam - the first such visit in four decades and a sign of growing ties between the US and Hanoi (whose acquisition of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-growing-submarine-force-worrying-pacific-us-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">submarines has also irked China</a>).</p><p>Around the same time, India's army chief said that New Delhi was working with Australia, Japan, and the US to guarantee "<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-engaging-with-aus-japan-us-to-ensure-freedom-of-navigation-gen-rawat/articleshow/63191611.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">freedom of navigation</a>" in the region. A few days later, India began its Milan 2018 naval exercises, <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/the-real-significance-of-indias-milan-navy-exercise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underscoring</a> New Delhi's growing engagement with the region.</p><p>The Milan exercises were first held in 1995 with four countries. This year, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/multi-lateral-naval-exercise-begins-in-andamans/articleshow/63191024.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">16 countries</a> joined the drills, which for <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/02/the-real-significance-of-indias-milan-navy-exercise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the first time</a> included a joint multilateral exercise at sea. The naval portion took place around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-to-buy-submarines-amid-china-naval-activity-in-the-indian-ocean-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategically located near the Malacca Straits</a>, which connects the Indian and Pacific oceans.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>(US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Holly L. Herline)</span></p><p class="caption">US Navy Rear Adm. Bill Byrne, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, observes Indian navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and US Navy ships from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during Malabar 2017 in the Bay of Bengal, July 17, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>That was followed in late March by <a href="http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=104810" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the fourth meeting</a> between US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Indian navy chief Adm. Sunil Lanba, where they "discussed ways to improve interoperability to include additional naval exercises and staff talks."</p><p>As with the Quad, India, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">uses Russian-made military hardware</a>, has been reluctant about joint operations. Its reticence about information-sharing has <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-usa-quad/indian-navy-the-odd-man-out-in-asias-quad-alliance-idUSKBN1DM0UB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly hindered</a> those exercises and broader interoperability.</p><h2>'Like their Caribbean'</h2><p>China has made clear its displeasure with such regional cooperation.</p><p>When Japan's inclusion in the Malabar exercise was permanent in late 2015, Beijing reacted sharply, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/china-reacts-sharply-to-japans-inclusion-in-malabar-exercises/articleshow/50172813.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> it hoped "<span>the relevant country will not provoke confrontation and heighten tensions in the region."</span></p><p><span>The rivalry between China and India in the Indian Ocean appeared inflamed in February, when both looked <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-maldives-politics/asian-giants-china-and-india-flex-muscles-over-tiny-maldives-idUSKCN1GJ12X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poised to respond</a> in the Maldives, where the government imposed a state of emergency, jailed opponents, and stifled protests. (The state of emergency <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Maldives-lifts-state-of-emergency-defusing-China-India-tensions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was lifted</a> this week.) India has long wielded influence in the Maldives, but the government there has courted China, buying into what <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Maldives-faces-Chinese-land-grab-over-unpayable-debts-ex-leader-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">critics fear</a> is Beijing's "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-weaponizing-capital-us-navy-chief-awake-at-night-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debt-trap diplomacy</a>."</span></p><p><span>China has also flexed its muscles in the South and East China Seas. In January, a Chinese sub <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2018/01/japan-identifies-chinese-submarine-in-east-china-sea-a-type-093-ssn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was detected</a> around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, which are controlled by Japan but disputed Beijing. It the <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Submarine-seen-near-territory-was-Chinese-Japan-confirms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first confirmed</a> identification of a Chinese sub that area and drew a Japanese protest. Chinese ships have entered that area <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180323_26/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on six days</a> this year, most recently on March 23.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Japanese Ministry of Defense</span></p><p class="caption">A Chinese Shang-class nuclear attack submarine in the contiguous zone of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>In recent days, Vietnam, which has sought to mollify Beijing after the US carrier's visit, assented <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43507448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to Chinese pressure</a> to scrap an offshore oil-drilling project - the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-vietnam/vietnam-halts-south-china-sea-oil-drilling-project-under-pressure-from-beijing-idUSKBN1GZ0JN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second time</a> in a year Hanoi has done so. The cancellation is <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43507448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">likely to be read</a> in Beijing as a sign Vietnam's strategic thinking has not changed, despite US shows of force in the area.</p><p>Such a victory means Beijing's efforts to assert its claims, and to influence its neighbors, are unlikely to end. Even with regional efforts to counter China, the country's geography, resources, and military put it in a position to wield considerable influence over the region and the trade that passes through it - which makes a continuing US presence all the more important, said Fabey, author of "<a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Crashback/Michael-Fabey/9781501112041" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crashback</a>."</p><p>"If the US were to pull back from there ... China would take control, and if China wants to do this, they basically would," he told Business Insider. "The South China Sea could be like their Caribbean. How we control the Caribbean, China says it wants to control the South China Sea."</p><p>"Now as long as everything's equal - that is to say, that China is benefiting from that being free and open - then I guess there's no problem," Fabey said. But that could change, he added, if Beijing decides changing it is in its interests. "China will always do what's best for China."</p>      <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/market-outlook-equity-us-asia-growth-2018-3">Traders should be focused on the massive growth opportunities in Asia right now, says an HSBC investment chief</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "Nicobar Command" and got 6 results

Indian defence to work under theatre commands just like US and China

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India deploys submarine hunters to tackle China's submarines in the Indian Ocean

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India is beefing up its navy to counter China's increasingly powerful fleet

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