By Afshain Afzal
Recently, an interesting development took place as the Indian Navy has displayed show of its fleet at Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command at Kochi and Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Indian Navy in Porbandar, Gujarat as well as at extreme opposite at Bay of Bengal to impress the foreign investors including France. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu is on visit at New Delhi on 27 – 28 November 2022 to attend  4th India-France Annual Defence to boost military ties. He along with French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain would visit Headquarters Southern Naval Command at Kochi and some facility at Eastern Naval Command. His visit at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) at Kerala is in connection with signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau for the defence collaboration. He will also visit Indian Navy Ship (INS) Vikrant aircraft carrier which can carry a crew of 1,600 and operate a fleet of 30 fighter aircraft.
Currently, a number of submarines are being built in this yard with the collaboration of France. There are still may Indian national who belong to France and Portugal and these nations own them. Former French territories in India are still remembered by the policy makers in France who are thinking of a federal union of its former territories, but it is not easy and Russia is equally a competitor. Similarly, Goa remained a Portuguese colony and some analysts are of the view that European Union has eye on the specific part of India. Another controversy still exists that here are many in Pakistan who do not accept the coercive annexation of Goa and Gujarat in 1954 as an illegitimate action and demand either a plebiscite or it should be under international supervision.
If we recall, few days back the United States Secretary of Navy, Carlos Del Toro was on a five-day official visit to India from 17-21 November 2022. Secretary Toro also visited Indian Navy’s Southern Naval Command at Kochi. Back in 2016, Washington announced awarding India as major ‘Defence Partner Status’. It was after signing of Defence Framework Agreement in 2015, which paved way for collaboration between the defence establishments of both countries, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) signed in 2016, which is a foundational agreement facilitating reciprocal logistics support between the Armed Forces of both countries, the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) signed in 2018, the Basic Exchange Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which enables sharing of geo - spatial information between Ministry of Defence and National Geospatial Agency (NGA), USA. More recently, the Navies of India, the US Navy and partner nations participated in Exercise MALABAR - 2022, held from 09 – 15 November 2022 off Yokosuka, Japan and earlier RIMPAC 22. In addition, exchange of White Shipping Information was quite encouraging for India.
There is no doubt that the world Navies must interact and carryout joint training and exercise for peace and self defence. However, India is playing a role which may turn the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) a battle ground for frictions and hostilities. The US military commitment in the region is claimed largely to be pitched against rise of China and Russia but engaging other countries, especially in the Bay of Bengal and Strait of Malacca is threat to the world peace. It is likely to be a multiplayer battle ground with each nation having her own objective and ambitions. The tri-services conference of 7 November 2022, held at New Delhi exposed much of the Indian ambitions when Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Indian Naval Staff shared future plans of Indian Navy’s international role as policeman of Indian Ocean, checkmating all Navy and commercial movements in the Indian Ocean Region. The increased activities of Indian Navy with interception and signal facilities especially Chahbahar, Ad-Duqm Seychelles, Maldives and Strait of Malacca is part of Indo-US strategy to control whole region of Africa and Asia. No doubt, Washington is using New Delhi as front man while the actual ambitions is to make the Indian Ocean Region a multi-battle ground of world Navies. One wonders, knowing well the hegemonic designs, especially the US and India, the nations of this region must not fall into the trap and remain non-allied by refusing signing of any mutual defence agreement. No matter what… sovereignty is the only and everything.