When the world was divided between the communist and the capitalist blocs, India chose to remain non-aligned. The Indian government decided to use its resources primarily to undertake developmental programmes. Considerations of defence and security were always secondary. The accepted objective of the Indian armed forces was the defence of the country. The problems associated with strict adherence to this objective came to the fore after the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965.
In the 1965 war, the Indian government issued an extraordinary instruction that Indian vessels should not operate north of a line due west of Porbunder. Even in the South of this line, the Indian Navy was not expected to engage enemy vessels beyond 200 (nautical) miles of the Indian coast. This was an inappropriate defence posturing in times of war. The weaknesses in this strategic thinking were exposed by Narayan Dandekar, a Member of Parliament representing the Swatantra Party in the Lok Sabha. In his speech delivered in 1967, he argued that defensive posture did not mean supinely waiting for somebody to attack us or waiting till we were ‘gheraoed’. This indifference towards the enemy when he armed himself and prepared for the war, coupled with our retaliation only in times we were under attack was seen as a misinterpretation of the word ‘defence’. Dandekar asserted that an appropriate posture for the armed forces would involve defence from strength. He described it as an aggressively defensive posture. In what came after the introduction to his speech he offered several examples of how the approach towards defence needed a complete conceptual and material overhaul.
Need for Two Fleets
When N. Dandekar argued for this aggressively defensive role of the Indian Navy, he was unhappy with how the Indian Navy was organised at the time. Therefore, he made a strong case for two separate fleets operating under two commands. In 1967 when he expressed his dissatisfaction with India’s defence preparedness India had only one fleet based at Bombay and Cochin. It strained India’s capacity to guard its coasts at the same time. Even though the question of having two commands had been under consideration since Independence, the decision was not made. The Swatantra Party pressed for the creation of two naval commands and releasing grants for naval preparedness to protect India’s sovereignty and defend her freedom.
Defining the Role of the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal
In his speech, Dandekar identified Pakistan and China as two hostile countries. He expected India to prepare to defend itself against these two either acting separately or jointly or simultaneously. This threat perception from the neighbours informed the Swatantraite’s understanding of what the Indian Navy’s role should have been. He listed five simple principles that the Indian Navy on the east, in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean would have to perform.
- Keeping a strict and continuous watch on the entrances into the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
- In case of hostilities with China or Pakistan the navy should detect, hunt down and destroy any intruder coming into the Bay of Bengal.
- If the intruders entered India’s waters it was the job of the Indian Navy to defend the Andaman Islands.
- If the enemy forces managed to go beyond these islands, the navy had to guard the eastern coast.
- If the enemy was already present in the Bay of Bengal, the navy had to protect the commercial sea routes in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.
Centrality of Aircraft Carriers in the Fleets
Further, N. Dandekar discussed the composition of the proposed fleet protecting the East Coast. He highlighted the need to have two aircraft carriers for the Eastern Fleet. In case having two aircraft carriers was not possible, India needed at least one aircraft carrier in the Eastern Command. The fleet would also have an appropriate number of fast, well-armed protective units for each one of these aircraft carriers. These smaller faster well-armed offensive units would include destroyers, corvettes, and frigates poised to intrude vessels and especially submarines. While surface naval units would rarely intrude into Indian waters, Dandekar raised concerns about hostile submarines moving freely through the Indian waters.
Fortification of Andamans
Interestingly, Dandekar strongly recommended the fortification of Andamans. He wanted Andamans to be converted into a first-class Advance Base. He wanted this to become the Defence Ministry’s top consideration. This base would have highly trained units of the army, navy and air force. They should be constantly alert and routinely carry out combined exercises. In addition to this, he emphasised the need for the chain of airfields on the eastern coast of India from where long-range land-based reconnaissance air force units could keep an eye on incoming intruders.
Relevance of Dandekar’s Ideas in Peacetime
The prescriptions of the Swatantra Party and its insistence on reorganisation of the Indian Navy did not fall on deaf ears. Indian Navy established the second naval command in March 1968. Today Indian Navy has two operational aircraft carriers. The second aircraft carrier was inducted only in 2022. The role of the Indian Navy has evolved and its footprint has now grown manifold. Now the Indian Navy deploys its ships from Seychelles to the South China Sea. The Indian Navy checks the Chinese threat in the neighbourhood and also defends the smaller neighbours and sea lanes of communication from non-state actors such as pirates. India responded quickly and perhaps was the first responder reaching out to Indonesia after the Tsunami in 2004 and to Myanmar when Cyclone Nargis hit in 2008. In 2014 when the desalination plant in Maldives got damaged in a fire, India moved quickly to provide 35 tonnes of freshwater. The Indian Navy played a crucial role in the delivery of water. India sealifted stranded Indian nationals and at times nationals of friendly and hostile countries alike from war zones and conflict-ridden areas of the Middle East. Operation Sukoon (2006) during the Israel-Lebanon crisis and Operation Raahat (2015) during the Yemen crisis are examples of the growing involvement and capabilities of the Indian Navy in the region. These are a few examples from among numerous instances of the Indian Navy offering humanitarian assistance.
The Swatantra Party and its members are remembered for their appreciation of the old liberal ideas. However, one must not forget that their ideas were shaped in the context of the Cold War. The Indian government had decided not to join any collective security arrangements. India chose to remain non-aligned and adopted a defensive self-help approach. Though Swatantraites were liberals so far as the economic issues were concerned, they frequently took a realist view of national security and foreign policy. Dandekar too was a realist and his threat perception was further augmented by the Cold War reality. The ideas he proposed and the approach of aggressive defence as outlined by him are relevant even today. The evolving role of the Indian Navy is in tandem with his approach of acting from the position of strength. The role of the Indian Navy is appreciated across the world because of its capabilities and long experience. Only the powerful can indeed protect their freedom in times of crisis, for which they prepare in times of peace.
