Disputes in Indo-Pacific could get out of control; like-minded nations must work together: Navy Chief

The disputes in the IndoPacific do have the possibility of getting out of control and turning into conflict Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Friday against the backdrop of growing global concerns over Chinas increasing military assertiveness in the regionIn a media briefing ahead of Navy Day on December 4 he also said India has been closely monitoring Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean and that his force deployed surveillance assets ships aircraft submarines and drones to boost its presenceWe try to keep the extraregional forces which are present in the region under surveillance as we would like to know what are their activities and what are the intentions he said referring to Chinese forays into the Indian OceanThat is why we deploy our surveillance assets and ships submarines aircraft UAVs unmanned aerial vehicles etc They are deployed regularly to keep our area of interest under observation to see that we are aware of all the happenings that are taking placeOn the IndoPacific the Chief of Naval Staff said all likeminded nations must work together to ensure peace and stability in the regionIn the IndoPacific what we see there are disputes These disputes do have the possibility of getting out of control or getting elevated and then they can go into conflict he saidThat is one end of the spectrum But at the other end or in the middle I would say you find all other challenges like illegal migration fishing piracy drug trafficking and the challenge of climate change he saidAdmiral Kumar said dialogue is essential to ensure that we maintain peace and tranquillity in the region besides working for use of the oceans based on a rulesbased approachThe Navy Chief said all likeminded nations must work unitedly towards a free open and inclusive IndoPacific adding no force irrespective of size alone can tackle the challenges in the regionHe said oceans can be used for the legitimate economic aspirations of any nationChina may have a legitimate reason to be present in the Indian Ocean region for economic activities But as the resident naval power in the Indian Ocean keep an eye on what all is happening there he saidAdmiral Kumar said sixtoeight Chinese ships generally operate in the Indian Ocean besides a large number of fishing vessels and research platformsWe monitor their activities he saidFirst and foremost maintaining credible deterrence while remaining ready to win war at sea will remain our principal priority Our vision of being a combat ready credible cohesive and futureproof force underpins this aspect he saidAs an associated element we will keep a close tab on the intention messaging behavioural characteristics and transparency with which actors and forces are operating in our areas of interest the Navy Chief saidHe asserted that the Indian Navy is committed towards the governments Atmanirbhar Bharat selfreliant India approachIn comprehension of the governments view that Aatmanirbharta is not merely an economic necessity but increasingly a strategic one Bharatiya Nausena has made an unequivocal commitment to be fully Aatmanirbhar by 2047 in capabilities capacities as well as concepts he saidThe Navy Chief said his force aims to become 170 shipNavy by 2035This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever