China Remains Formidable Challenge Amid Border Disputes: Navy Chief

China remains a formidable threat and it has extended its presence not just along India's land borders but also in the maritime sphere, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Tuesday. 

He was speaking about India’s conventional and other security challenges at an event on "India's Naval Revolution: Becoming an Ocean Power." 

He said that the Indian naval force maintains a regular watch on Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean region. 

"Pakistan, despite economic constraints, has continued its military modernisation, especially its Navy, which is on track to become a 50-platform force by about 2030-2035,” he added.

Terrorism continues to pose a severe security danger because of its evolution in size, scope, and shape. The problem of staying one step ahead of such an invisible enemy, who will constantly evolve tactics made possible by specialised technologies, persisted, according to the navy leadership. 

Admiral Kumar said that a "trinity of 3Is" — imperatives at home, influences from outside, and certain invasive ideologies — determine India's current security environment. The security difficulties India faces stem from this security environment, he added.

A fight with possible rivals cannot be ruled out, despite the fact that rivalries are played out on a daily basis, occasionally pushing boundaries but never erupting into military conflict.

The navy chief stated that China "remains a severe threat in this area" and that it has extended its presence not just along our land borders but also in the maritime domain by using anti-piracy operations to "normalise" its naval presence in the Indian Ocean region.

He claimed that China has been in the Indian Ocean since 2008 and has established a military facility in Djibouti during a later discussion on the dais. It also works on building ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and other nations along the Indian Ocean.

About 5-8 Chinese navy units are active in the Indian Ocean region at any given time, including warships, research vessels, and several fishing boats.

According to Kumar, the Indian Navy operates aircraft sorties and has ships stationed to monitor the Indian Ocean region.

But he said that capability plans and development are "based on our need to safeguard, preserve, and advance our interests in the maritime domain," not on the needs of any single country or nation.

"Apart from these diverse threats that invoke our military role, the challenges imposed by piracy, arms and drug smuggling, illegal immigration, etc., invoke our constabulary role and, thereby, expand our responsibilities," he added in his speech at the 49th National Management Convention of the All India Management Association (AIMA).

"We all need to comprehend that future battles will not only take place on the high seas but also cross several different areas. Physical lines will not define the battlefield. The Navy leader predicted that the battle will take place on land, in the air, on the seas, in the information age, in the digital age, and even in our brains.

On the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, he said that starting a fight is simple, but ending it is more challenging.

“They assert that a country enters a war for three reasons: fear, honour, and interests. In Russia's special military operation, we observe all three.”

From a naval standpoint, blockades, food grain crises, and disruptive and modern technologies, including drones, are real. But this time, social media has been used in a way that has never been done before.

Kumar stated in his statement that the Indian Navy "embarked on its drive for self-reliance and indigenisation" with the building of INS Ajay in 1961.