International Fleet Review brings together Iran, Israel, US and Russia

As major global navies, meet on the east coast, the Indian Navy has pulled all stops to project the Indian Ocean as its domain and security responsibility.

VISHAKHAPATNAM: Warships and delegates from around the world have converged at the 'city of destiny' for the largest military diplomacy put up by India, managing to bring together diverse nations, many of which seldom meet at sea.

From rivals Iran and Israel, competitors Russia and the US to far flung maritime nations like Brazil, almost 50 nations are taking part at the International Fleet Review with the Vishakhapatnam harbor lined up with warships sporting different flags.

In the works for over a year, the IFR was one of the first initiatives cleared by the Modi government after it took over. For the past several months, hectic diplomatic efforts were on to invite as many nations as possible for the showcase event.

As major global navies — France,UK, China, Russia, US and Japan are represented — meet on the east coast, the Indian Navy has pulled all stops to project the Indian Ocean as its domain and security responsibility.

Warships converging in Vizag were greeted by Indian surveillance aircraft or warships as they entered the Indian Ocean through its various `choke points' - be it the Malacca strait for the arriving Chinese fleet or western warships coming in from the Gulf of Aden. The `world's center of gravity', India believes needs to remain secure for the stability of the global economy.

"With the Indian Ocean Regional emerging as the world's center of gravity, any impediment to the free flow of oil or trade will have an impact not just on the economies of the region but the economy of the entire world," Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan told ET in an exclusive chat.

In Vizag, nearly a hundred warships - including those of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard - are in place for the main event - a review by President Pranab Mukherjee who will sail across the harbor and take stock of the fleet. The location on the eastern shores has also been chosen in accordance with India's `Act East' policy, even though the navy pointed to greater available depth on the coastline as an added advantage to bring together warships.

"The security, stability and safety of the global commons is a collective responsibility of the navies of the world. That is why, there is a focus on networking between navies and global maritime partnerships are emerging. The presence of nearly 50 nations at IFR is an indicator of that," Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan said at the inaugural event of the fleet review.

While the flagship of the Indian Navy - the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier - and a large part of its cutting edge western fleet is in place at Vizag, one of the visible absentees is the INS Arihant nuclear missile submarine. Even though the submarine is based at Vizag, it is not being showcased at the review as it is undergoing tests and trials to fire nuclear capable missiles from underwater.

(Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com)

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