The Indian Navy is garnering tremendous attention as the top American naval officer started his five day India visit to promote bilateral cooperation on the one hand whilst the European Union (EU) has considered Indian navy to be a part of EU-led mission for maritime security in coastal African countries. The US as well as the European Union is aiming to strengthen mutual cooperation with the Indian Navy due to rising instances of piracy that threaten maritime stability in the region.
US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert has already met Indian Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma on the first day of his arrival this week besides the Army Chief and Air Force Chief. After meeting the top brass of the Defence Ministry, Admiral Greenert will head for Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL) which will be followed by a visit to Goa to visit INS Hansa naval base. From Goa, Admiral Greenert will go to the new naval base in Karwar to witness the new training facilities. The trip will conclude with a visit to the naval training command at Kochi.
This important visit from the top US naval officer is taking place only a week after the Indian Navy and US navy concluded their 10-day long Malabar-series exercise in the Bay of Bengal. The 10-day Indo-US Naval Exercise was 16th in the series since these exercises have been going on every year since 1992. Exercise Malabar 2012 witnessed frontline units of both the navies and included both ashore and at- sea training, counter-piracy operations, carrier aviation operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations and anti-submarine warfare operations.
On the other hand, the European Union is seeking help from the Indian Navy to help build up the maritime capabilities of coastal countries in the Horn of Africa to fight off piracy and create stability. The EU Military Staff (EUMS) has sought greater contribution from the Indian Navy by its participation in a new Regional Maritime Capacity Building (RMCB) mission led by EU. This mission will cover coastal African nations like Somalia, Tanzania, Djibouti, Eritrea and Kenya.
According to media reports, EUMS chief Lieutenant General Ton Van Osch has indicated that responsibilities will be shared with the Indian Navy to train these coastal countries in maritime security. The need to patrol territorial waters and build maritime capabilities to ward-off piracy in the most volatile region for commercial shipping, vis-à-vis Horn of Africa, is the main agenda for this collective mission.
While the European Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) was formed to fight piracy few years back, the operation is only equipped with four to seven warships and two to three reconnaissance aircraft at any given time. Hence, the surveillance operation, which stretches across 2.3 million square miles of ocean which needs to be secured, has not been effective and requires greater cooperation with other navies.
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