How do you feel being the Chief of Indian Navy?
Absolutely honoured to head such a fine Service and to lead such gallant and dedicated officers and sailors, all committed to defending the maritime interests of our country.
HE has has commanded four ships including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat, besides commanding the Eastern Fleet. A truly “joint” officer, he served with an IAF fighter-bomber squadron as a young Lieutenant. Flying Hunters, he flew over the Western and Northern sectors in the 1971 War, winning a Vir Chakra in the process. His command of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, and his appointment as the first Commander-in-Chief of the unified Andaman and Nicobar Command confirmed his status as a true “purple” officer of the Indian Armed Forces. One of the most accomplished aviators of the Indian Navy, he has flown a variety of aircraft, including Islanders, Vampires, Kirans, Sea Hawk, Sea Harriers and even the four-engined maritime reconnaissance aircraft, the Super Constellation. He supervised the induction of the Sea Harrier V/STOL aircraft in the Indian Navy, and just a few weeks ago we saw him flying a variant of the MiG-29K, which will operate from the Navy's new aircraft carrier, the Vikramaditya. Can there be a profile better than this?It becomes difficult for the enemy to play war games against such a widely experienced & exceptionally talented commander of armed forces . Meet Admiral Arun Prakash, the distinguished Chief of the Naval Staff of India, in a wide-ranging interview with Shri DJ Narain, Editor-in-Chief, Sainik Samachar.
I had first met him when he was the Commandant of NDA at Pune around eight years ago. I remember always a twinkle in his eye, and a smile on his face. When I then told him that he would one day be the Naval Chief, he had replied, “Mr Narain, that's going be an exciting challenge, if at all I am lucky enough to be there”. Eight years down the line the twinkle in his eyes has changed into a spark and the challenges he talked about 8 years back, have not diminished his spirits. After exchanging a few friendly notes, we settled into the interview mode.
How do you feel being the Chief of Indian Navy? Absolutely honoured to head such a fine Service and to lead such gallant and dedicated officers and sailors, all committed to defending the maritime interests of our country. |
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Did you ever think that you will become CNS one day?
No way! While I was a young cadet in NDA, it was a question of passing the next exam. After getting commissioned one served to the best of one's ability, not certainly with any intention of getting promoted to a particular rank.
What are the future challenges for Indian Navy?
The challenge lies in protecting the maritime interests of India. History tells us that the majority of invasions of India were from the landward side. But such invaders were, over time, absorbed by the resilient fabric of India's culture, and became Indian. In fact, it may truly be said that India never lost her independence till she lost the command of the seas. That our country has been prey to centuries of invasion and conquest, and that final domination by an alien power resulted by an onslaught across the seas is a fact that should be indelibly engraved in the mind of every Indian. It should also form the foundation and underpinning for our maritime thought.
As far as the Indian Navy is concerned, the challenge is to remain contemporary and relevant with the changing times, both in terms of technology and the international environment. India's growing power also casts the mantle of regional responsibility on its shoulders. This is borne out by the Indian Navy's assistance to Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia during last year's tsunami relief operations and our ongoing maritime assistance to our friends in the Indian Ocean Region.
In specific terms, apart from defending against external aggression, protecting vital trade routes and India's trade and energy interests will be key components of our operations in the years ahead. People of Indian origin are settled all over the globe, our maritime capability also reassures them of our ability to assist them in times of crisis, as was seen during the recent operation to evacuate citizens of Indian origin from Beirut by our ships.
What are your modernisation plans?
Thirty-five ships and submarines are on order today in our shipyards, covering the full spectrum of warship building: from patrol boats, landing ships and corvettes, to frigates, destroyers and an aircraft carrier; and submarines in a few years time. Our naval aviation force levels will also soon get a boost with the induction of MiG-29K fighters and modern reconnaissance aircraft. With emphasis on net-working our forces and developing indigenous capability for our hardware and software, the Indian Navy will be balanced and technologically advanced maritime force within next decade.
Operation 'Sukoon' at Beirut? Indian Navy was perhaps amongst the first to reach there. Can you please tell a little more?
An Indian Naval Task Force headed by a Rear Admiral was operating in the Mediterranean last month, as part of its overseas deployment programme, when the situation in Lebanon started deteriorating. Naval ships are always prepared for all contingencies, and as soon as we received the Government's go-ahead, our ships headed towards Beirut and commenced operations, in which over 2,500 persons were evacuated. The operation was controlled from NHQ and we were in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the MoD on the issue. The world noticed it. The Indians we rescued were proud of their Navy, and its power and reach. The other nationals who were rescued were from Sri Lanka, Nepal and Lebanon, and our efforts have earned us the gratitude and goodwill of these countries.
For the Indian Navy, it was just another day at sea. But interestingly, at the same time when Indian ships were performing their humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean, another Indian ship was on deployment to the South Pacific Ocean, to the island of Fiji, which also has a large population of Indian origin. These two areas are geographically thousands of miles apart, but the Indian Navy's presence ensured that our tricolour fluttered proudly across the globe in two widely disparate areas, to reassure our countrymen. During the same period, Indian Naval Ships were also involved in providing medical and material relief to Indonesia, which had suffered from an earthquake and a tsunami. This was a very good demonstration of the Indian Navy's capability.
China and Pakistan, what about the challenges posed by the modernization of Naval army of China and Pakistan?
(He laughs…) Mr Narain, the Indian Navy is not China or Pakistan centric. While we do take these and other countries into account while planning our strategy and force levels, we are primarily driven by matrix of our own national interests and perceived military threats. All I wish to say is that our planning is done keeping in view the bigger role of the country in world affairs in the 21st Century, and for safeguarding the vital maritime interests of India.
Which is the immediate footprint area of Indian Navy?
Though, our maritime interests are now all over the globe, anything that happens between the East Coast of Africa and the Strait of Malacca is of immediate concern of India. So, this part of the Indian Ocean is the immediate footprint area of Indian Navy.
What have been your priority areas as CNS?
My priority as CNS has been to focus energies in areas such as Foreign Cooperation, Networking, Indigenisation and Transformation. Foreign Cooperation, is one of the most important roles of the Navy during peacetime. There are also a host of activities, both collaborative and cooperative, that we carry out with friendly navies and our maritime neighbours. In order to focus sharply on this role, we created a Directorate of Foreign Cooperation last October, with the charter of coordinating the Indian Navy's international maritime cooperation.
Networking the Navy has been another key area. Individually, our ships, submarines and aircraft have powerful weapons and sensors. But if we can network these units over large distances, we can obtain tremendous synergy, which becomes a powerful force multiplier. Over the past two years we have made considerable headway in crystallising our networking concepts, which are centred around a dedicated secure communications satellite. But we are aware it is a very complex task, which will take several years to fructify. A separate organisation has been created to steer this project.
Self-reliance has been another priority and a separate Directorate of Indigenisation has been created at NHQ to synergise the earlier disparate efforts. Thrust in this area will both support and encourage the resurgence of our own industry and also cut costs and dependence on foreign equipment.
The last issue is that of Transformation. For military organisations like the Navy, rapid technological change and the growing imperatives of joint operations necessitate constant attention to changes imposed by these developments. Hence, for Navies, transformation encompasses not just the creation of capabilities by use of technology, but also changes in training, human resources management, organizational relationships, war-fighting concepts and standard operating procedures. But change, as you know, is hard to bring about. So we are trying to bring it about in a gradual, but systematic manner. We have created a separate team of bright young officers who are currently working on the 'Transformation Roadmap for the Indian Navy', which we hope to implement over the next few years. The Navy is dynamic in its approach, and these are just some of the major initiatives underway. |
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When so many persons are out there in the sea, how do you take care of the welfare of the families?
Indian Navy accords a very high priority to the welfare of its men and women and their families. The best possible schooling, housing and medical facilities are being made available within the given resources. Last year had been declared the “Year of the Naval Civilian Employee” (we have over 45,000 of them) and this year is the “Year of the Sailor”. Under these initiatives, concerted efforts have been undertaken to improve the service conditions and quality of life of our people and this is a continuing endeavour.
One last question. Of late, there have been some news stories in the certain section of the press on issues which involve you. Does it affect you? (laughs…) Once you are given the responsibility of being the Chief of the Indian Navy and given the challenge of defending the maritime interests of the country, there is little time to think about other matters. However, let me state that whatever might come out in the press, the Indian Navy has always acted entirely in accordance with the letter and spirit of the law as laid down in our regulations, and in consultation with all concerned authorities. As far as I am concerned, my conscience is absolutely clear, or I would not be here today. My primary concern is the image of my Service and the morale of the men and women who work tirelessly day in and day out in the service of the nation. I would like to re-assure them through your magazine that a false and motivated campaign of disinformation by certain sections of the media cannot divert the Indian Navy's focus on its primary task, which is to defend the maritime interests of our great country. Every individual in the Indian Navy is a part of this bigger picture and we need to get on with our task of making India a great maritime power. I am proud and happy doing my bit for the country and Indian Naval Forces. |
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