Mhow: The Navy is committed to synergising its command control, communications and combat capability with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force with the ultimate goal of theaterisation, Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said Wednesday.
His comments came a day after IAF chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh batted for a joint planning and coordination centre in the national capital involving the Service chiefs and the CDS rather than theaterisation.
“Another area where significant efforts are being progressed is jointness and integration. We are committed to synergising our command control communications and combat capability with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Full stop, period,” Admiral Tripathi said addressing the Ran Samvad seminar here at the Army War College.
He said that since integration begins at the human level, the forces have focused their attention on maximising interaction and cross pollination across all levels.
“So now I have an army Aide-de-Camp (ADC) with me, and my friend, the air chief, has got a Naval Flight Lieutenant with him, to start with,” he said.
He added, “With theatrisation as the ultimate goal, we are propelling ahead with the goal of unified planning, common picture and integrated operations; while gaining skills, competence and teamwork for this cohesion, it is the leadership that transforms both into decisive outcomes,” he said.
The Navy has always been on board the theaterisation plan because it will head the Maritime Theatre Command that will oversee both the Eastern and Western maritime boundaries.
However, the IAF, which plans its operations centrally, and assets are moved from one command to the other at ease depending on operational requirements, feels that splitting up air assets into three or more Theatre Commands is futile and tying up critical systems.
Also read: Indian armed forces need functional integration, not geographic theaterisation scheme
Fishing vessels and grey zone warfare
The Navy chief also said that technology has equipped grey zone actors with tools to apply pressure and disturb order at sea without triggering austerities.
“Fishing fleets fitted with satellite communication and long range sensors now act as extension of national strategy, remaining at sea for once while relaying positional and surveillance intelligence in real time.
“Similarly, research and survey vessels ostensibly engaged in scientific pursuits, increasingly carry sophisticated sonar and electronic systems capable of mapping the seabed and gathering hydrographic intelligence, which are of obvious military value,” he said, hinting at how the Chinese operate.
He added that technology has advanced to the point where small autonomous boats can now launch, for example, surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, making it conceivable that seemingly innocuous fishing vessels could carry out major offensive actions in the near future,” he said.
“Such platforms embody the ambiguity of intent, civilian in appearance, military in function,” he added.
ThePrint in November 2020 reported that two Chinese research and survey vessels in Sri Lankan waters had caught the attention of the Indian Navy, which sees them as possibly being part of a larger ploy to gather data.
A note prepared by the defence establishment at the time said that survey and research vessels primarily gather data vital for conduct of naval operations, especially that of submarines.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)