Maritime terrorism: A new challenge for Indian Navy

On November 26, 2008, 10 men, armed with sophisticated weaponry, landed at the Gateway of India in dinghies.

Anil K Satapathy

On November 26, 2008, 10 men, heavily armed with sophisticated gadgets and weaponry, landed at the Gateway of India in dinghies. From there some of them sprinted the short distance to the Taj hotel nearby, while others split into groups and headed towards the CST, Nariman House and Oberoi hotel. The next three days became some of the darkest days that modern India has seen as terrorists held India’s financial capital hostage. In the resulting carnage, around 190 people lost their lives and more than 300 were injured. Properties worth crores were destroyed – the total cost of the ghastly attacks is yet to be calculated. India learnt through this ordeal how unprotected its sea routes were, the lesson brought home in the harshest possible manner. The unprecedented attacks, dubbed as “war on India”, exposed the unprepared and flawed security apparatus of our country. It is against this grim backdrop, amidst accusations that it neglected India’s shores against terror, that the "Men in White" will observe Navy Day on December 4. The media especially, had gone to town with the accusations of negligence. Reports suggested that the Navy and the Coast Guard had neglected reports from the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) about LeT’s preparation to attack through the sea route. The Navy, has of course, denied this. In any case the Men in Blacks with covered faces – the marine commandoes or Marcos, as they are known, took the terrorists head on, giving a positive touch to the Navy’s role. Ironically, the Navy Day is observed to commemorate “Operation Trident”, the bombing operation launched by the Indian Navy on the Karachi harbour during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Twenty seven years later, Pakistanis from Karachi entered India, and destroyed popular places, including the “Trident” Hotel! The parallels are almost too close for coincidence. A brief look at the Indian Navy: India boasts of a mighty naval force. Considered as the world`s fifth largest, it has approximately 55,000 personnel on active duty, including 5,000 members of the naval aviation branch and 2,000 marine commandos. It currently operates more than 155 vessels, including the INS Viraat, the only aircraft carrier in Asia carrying jet fighters. Apart from India, only eight other countries posses an aircraft carriers, considered vital for any navy which seeks to establish its authority over the seas. India is also about to acquire the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorkshov, which has been renamed INS Vikramaditya. 1971 war: After its detachment from the Royal Navy (of Britain) after India’s independence, the Indian Navy has played a limited role. In fact, India restricted its naval power to just patrolling the sea during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. On the other hand, Pakistan put its navy to good use, and attacked India’s coastal regions. It was this perhaps that led the Navy to play a greater role in the 1971 war. When in December war was declared between India and Pakistan, New Delhi positioned its only aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal to block Eastern Pakistan (now Bangaladesh). Pakistan responded by sending their lone long-range submarine PNS Ghazi to attack and sink INS Vikrant. However, Indian Navy in a well rehearsed plan, trapped the submarine along the Andhra Pradesh coast. It was detected and destroyed. Notably, Indian navy then did not had any experience of fighting submarines, essentially highlighting the brilliant planning, strategy and execution of Indian Navy. Fighter pilots onboard INS Vikrant later attacked Eastern Pakistan and destroyed several Pakistani ships and airfields of Pakistani armed forces. Then came the D-day. Several Indian naval destroyer ships cruised all the way to the Karachi port and reduced the harbour to rubble. It was a day that changed the course of the war as it cut off the Pakistani forces from reinforcement, supplies, and evacuation routes forcing its forces in Bangladesh to surrender. Other Achievments The Navy has many other achievements to its credit. In 1988, the Navy successfully thwarted a coup attempt by Tamil rebels who hijacked a vessel, in which, one of the hostages included a senior Maldivian minister. In October 1999, the Indian Navy along wit the Indian Coast Guard rescued a hijacked Japanese cargo ship, MV Alondra Rainbow, from pirates. During the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999, Navy launched Operation Talwar blocking the naval sea-trade routes to not only safeguard India`s maritime assets from a Pakistani naval attack, but also to deter Pakistan from initiating a full-scale war. Indian Navy`s aviators and commandos also fought along side Indian Army personnel during the Kargil war. In 2001, world’s worst fear again comes to haunt them. India, Pakistan was not like they used to in the 70s. Both are nuclear powered and a war between them will eventually become a nuclear war – first time since World War 2. India launched “Operation Parakram” in response to a daring attack by Pakistan-based terrorists on the Indian Parliament. The nation erupted in anger. India’s tolerance had reached a boiling point. India moved its forces to the Indo-Pak border, and deployed its missiles against Pakistan. Pakistan responded in kind. The Navy too was asked to prepare for a war. More than a dozen ships from the Navy were deployed during the exercise. Recently, India has shown its power in throttling sea-borne hijackers and pirates along busiest sea routes in the region. Challenges: The most and biggest challenge for the Indian Navy is always tackling Pakistan. The proxy war that was imposed on India since the late 80s – terrorism – is no longer restricted to land. India also faces threats from on its eastern side – from China. China’s growing naval power is a serious challenge to the Indian Navy. China is also reportedly building its first aircraft carrier. This could be a worrying aspect for India since China is a known ally of Pakistan. Also, an increasingly adversarial Chinese naval presence in Myanmanr makes it essential for India to bolster its eastern side. However, apart from these conventional threats, India has far greater role to play in the South Asia region. India claims a vast stretch of sea area from Africa`s east coast to the western shores of Australia as part of its "rightful domain" i.e. from the Strait of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca. An overwhelming proportion of India`s imports, especially its oil imports, come by sea. Thus, control over sea lanes of communication is therefore vital for realization of its dreams of becoming a global economic powerhouse. All this requires a naval and maritime fleet that can protect these sea channels. Also, India`s "Look-East" policy has resulted in increased economic, strategic and other engagement with Southeast Asian countries. A bigger share of India`s trade passes through the Malacca Strait, making the waterway a crucial security concern for India in view of the threat of piracy and maritime terrorism. The strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Averagely 50,000 vessels pass through the strait per year carrying about one-quarter of the world`s traded goods. About a quarter of all oil carried by sea passes through the strait, mainly from Persian Gulf suppliers to Asian markets. Maritime terrorism It was way back in 2000, when the threat of Maritime terrorism became evident. On 12 October 2000, Al Queda terrorist carried out a suicide bombing against the US Navy destroyer USS Cole while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. Seventeen American sailors were killed. Intelligence report has time and again warned of further attacks by Al Qaeda to disrupt world trade. Also, a string of daring hijacks by Somali pirates along the Gulf of Eden shows the vulnerability of merchant ships in high seas. Indian Navy had in the past (like in 2001) provided escort to American warships traveling through the Strait of Malacca (to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom). Also the increasing commercial activities in the Gulf of Mannar make it the most preferred destination for pirates and terrorist elements like LTTE, Al Qaeda, LeT and other groups that have a series of incidents of using the sea route to attack targets. All over the world navies adopting new techniques to tackle this rouge. Indian Navy thus cannot ignore this part. The latest Mumbai incident has only reiterated the urgency for the Navy not only to work during wars but in these proxy wars too.