India navy displays country's rising might
(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI — November 13, 2008: A helicopter carrying Indian commandos swooped in low over the distressed Saudi Arabian chemical tanker, firing its machine guns and sending three speedboats filled with pirates fleeing for the lawless Somali coast.
Twenty minutes later they rescued a nearby Indian ship, navy officials said, foiling another hijack attempt by a different band of pirates in east African waters of the Indian Ocean.
Tuesday's rescues, by forces based on an Indian warship patrolling some 1,800 miles from their home port, mark a significant step for the South Asian giant, which is determined to translate its growing economic strength into global military and political clout.
And on Wednesday, India successfully test-fired a medium-range, surface-to surface missile — called Shourya (Valor) — with a range of 375 miles. The announcement of the test followed an earlier anonymous report that the weapon tested was a nuclear-capable K-15 missile.
At the heart of this effort — which has seen the country of 1.1 billion people become a nuclear power and actively campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council — is a program to expand the navy from traditional coast-guard duties to one of the world's largest sea forces.
In the process, India is acquiring the biggest visible symbols of naval power — aircraft carriers — and nuclear submarines.
India plans to have three aircraft carriers at sea in the next decade — a refurbished Russian one and two made locally.
India is also leasing an advanced Russian Akula-class submarine and designing a homegrown version, the Advanced Technology Vehicle.
India's attempts to secure nuclear submarines surfaced this week after 20 people were killed in an accident on a Russian submarine undergoing sea trials Saturday in the Sea of Japan. Russian and Indian media reports said the craft was destined for India, though neither country would confirm it.
India's navy chief said last month that a Russian submarine would be used to train the crews that will, eventually, man Indian nuclear subs.
India currently operates 16 diesel-powered submarines.
In part, India's efforts are in response to moves by China. The two countries are increasingly competing for influence over vital Indian Ocean shipping lanes, and India fears China's large and increasingly sophisticated submarine fleet. The U.S. military says China already has eight nuclear submarines, three of which are believed to be able to launch nuclear weapons.
While Indian and Chinese relations are the closest in decades, the Indian military also harbors a long-standing mistrust of China dating back to a brief 1962 border war in which China routed India's forces.
The Indian navy has been slowly expanding its scope of operations, with rescue operations during the 2004 tsunami and in Lebanon during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
They have also held joint maneuvers with other navies active in the area, particularly the United States.
But Tuesday's missions against pirates marked the first time the navy had fired shots to protect India's overseas interests.
The clash involved the Indian warship, the INS Tabar, which was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden in October after a spike in piracy and hijackings off the coast of Somalia many of them targeting ships that are Indian or had Indian crews.
Much of India's trade and the energy supplies vital to fueling India's economy flow through those waters.
China's Enemies Are All Around
(NSI News Source Info) Hong Kong (UPI) November 13, 2008: China's military preparedness and strategic deployment of weaponry take into consideration a whole range of potential enemies, an analysis of internal People's Liberation Army documents has revealed.
In order of importance -- that is, the likelihood of actual military engagement -- those enemies are Taiwan, the United States and Japan -- as potential defenders of Taiwan, India, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Russia and the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Chinese military journals consistently criticize the United States for seeking to isolate and contain China. The PLA's indignation and frustration over this perceived U.S. interference is a reflection of its ambition to become a global hegemon, or at least a regional one.
As evidence of U.S. hostility, the military journals cite Washington's sales of arms to Taiwan, its military alliance with Japan, its support of NATO's eastward expansion, the stationing of a permanent force in Afghanistan, the expansion of its nuclear arsenal and its influence in restricting European arms sales to China. The journals claim these U.S. actions all pose a direct or indirect threat to China's national security.
As for Japan, despite warmer political relations between the two countries in recent months, there are two prickly issues that will not be easily resolved. One is the territorial fight over the Diaoyutai Islands -- which Japan calls the Senkakus -- and the other is the dispute over the exact location of the border in the East China Sea, in the midst of rich oil and gas reserves that both sides claim.
For now the two sides are working together to develop these resources, but the lack of a legally defined border makes the situation unpredictable. Also, China remains highly wary of any Japanese steps to strengthen its military.
On the Indian front, mistrust between the two countries has become more heated. New Delhi is wary of China's increased deployment of ballistic missiles aimed at India, the activities of the Chinese navy in the Indian Ocean and China's intentions with regard to territorial disputes.
On the other hand, China is also keeping an eye on India's active development of its Flame III intermediate-range ballistic missile, the activities of the Indian navy in the South China Sea and India's constantly changing attitude with regard to border disputes.
Differences between China and Vietnam focus on disputed maritime territories. At the same time, China is watching closely Vietnam's rapprochement to India and the United States.
As for the members of the Association of South East Nations, they too have disputes with China over territories at sea. China thinks it eventually will recapture the Nansha Islands -- better known as the Spratlys -- located between Vietnam and the Philippines and claimed by both, as well as by China. The area is a rich fishing ground and may also contain oil and gas. There may one day be a struggle over ownership of these islands.
In the midst of these disputes, since the mid-1990s Chinese military strategists have focused on one key issue -- the economic, political and national security benefits of expanding the military and centralizing all forces to "solve the Taiwan issue." Their position was that after Taiwan was reunited with the mainland, there would be additional economic benefits and national security gains resulting from the military buildup.
One argument held that the South China Sea disputes could be easily resolved when the time was right. Toward that end, there was a need to develop major maritime combat platforms, including an aircraft carrier.
