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The Naval Crest consists of
the Ashoka emblem, a foul anchor and a shield, and its
navy blue colour. Below the crest is the motto of the
Service- 'Shano Varuna'
- meaning 'May the Lord of the
Oceans be Auspicious Unto Us'. |
India is a maritime nation
strategically straddling the Indian Ocean with or substantive
seaborne trade. The country’s economic well being is
thus very closely linked to our ability to keep our sea-lanes
free and open at all times. Besides, India has other maritime
interests as well. Our island territories situated on our
Western and Eastern seaboards are at considerable distances
away from the mainland. To ensure their sustained development,
umbilical linkages with the mainland and maritime security
protection are essential pre-requisites of our maritime security.
Our offshore assets within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
of 2.02 million sq. kms, fisheries and deep sea interests,
major and minor harbours and the overall seaward security
of long coastline and island territories are other vital aspects
of our maritime dimension and Navy’s responsibilities.
Indian Navy has consciously
taken the difficult route of indigenisation in consonance
with the national endeavour towards self-reliance. The Navy
embarked upon a programme for indigenous construction of ships
and development of major sub systems, sensors and weapon systems
with the help of Defence Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) and Defence Public Sector Understandings (PSUs). Commissioning
of the indigenously built destroyer, INS Delhi on November
15, 1997, & commissioning INS Mysore on June 2, 1999 have
enabled the Navy to become a builder’s Navy and not just
be a buyer’s Navy. Self-reliance through indigenisation
has been the Navy’s guiding philosophy over the last
half century.
The Indian Navy is organised
into three regional commands
- HQ Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam;
- HQ Western Naval Command, Mumbai; and
- HQ Southern Naval Command, Kochi.
The Indian Navy is divided into the following broad categories
- Administration;
- Logistics and Material;
- Training;
- The Fleets;
- The Naval Aviation; and
- The Submarine Arm.
The origins of the modern
Indian navy are traced to a maritime force established by
the East India Company in the seventeenth century. This force
had a variety of names--the Bombay Marine, the Indian Navy,
and the Indian Marine. In 1934 the Royal Indian Navy was established,
with Indians serving primarily in lower-level positions. After
independence the navy was the most neglected of the three
services because the national leadership perceived that the
bulk of the threats to India were land-based.
The first efforts at naval
rearmament emerged in the 1964-69 Defence Plan, which called
for the replacement of India's aging fleet and the development
of a submarine service. Between 1947 and 1964, fiscal constraints
had prevented the implementation of ambitious plans for naval
expansion. Consequently, many of the vessels were obsolete
and of little operational value. As part of this expansion
program, the British helped develop the Mazagon Dock shipyard
for the local production of British Leander-class frigates.
The Soviets, however, were willing to support all phases of
the planned naval expansion. Accordingly, they supplied naval
vessels, support systems, and training on extremely favorable
terms. By the mid-1960s, they had replaced Britain as India's
principal naval supplier.
During the 1980s, Indian naval
power grew significantly. During this period, the naval facilities
at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, in the Nicobar Islands,
and in Lakshadweep were significantly upgraded and modernized.
A new line of Leander-class frigates was manufactured at Mazagon
Dock in collaboration with Vickers and Yarrow of Britain.
These frigates, redesignated as the Godavari class, have antisubmarine
warfare capabilities and can carry two helicopters. During
the 1980s, plans were also finalized for the licensed manufacture
of a line of West German Type 1500 submarines (known as the
Shishumar class in India). In addition to these developments
at Mazagon Dock, the naval air arm also was upgraded. India
purchased nearly two squadrons of the vertical and short takeoff
and landing (VSTOL) Sea Harriers to replace an earlier generation
of Sea Hawks.
In the mid-1990s, India was
preparing for a major modernization program that was to include
completion of three 5,000-ton Delhi-class destroyers, the
building of three 3,700-ton frigates based on Italian Indian
Naval Ship (INS)-10 design, and the acquisition of four hydrographic
survey ships. Also to be built were an Indian-designed warship
called Frigate 2001; six British Upholder-class submarines;
an Indian-designed and Indian-built missile-firing nuclear
submarine--the Advanced Technology Vessel--based on the Soviet
Charlie II class; and an Indian-designed and Indian-built
17,000-ton air defense ship capable of carrying between twelve
and fifteen aircraft. The air-defense ship will be, in effect,
a replacement for India's two aging British aircraft carriers,
the INS Vikrant , the keel of which was laid in 1943 but construction
of which was not completed until 1961 and which was slated
for decommissioning by 2000, and the INS Viraat , which entered
service in 1987 and is likely to be decommissioned by 2005.
The problems encountered with modernizing these and other
foreign-source ships led India to decide against acquiring
an ex-Soviet Kiev-class aircraft carrier in 1994.
In the spirit of international
military cooperation, India has made moves in the early and
mid-1990s to enhance joint-nation interoperability. Indian
naval exercises have taken place with ships from the Russian
navy and those of Indian Ocean littoral states and other nations,
including the United States.
Naval headquarters is located
in New Delhi. It is under the command of the chief of naval
staff--a full admiral. The chief of naval staff has four principal
staff officers: the vice chief of naval staff, the vice chief
of personnel, the chief of material, and the deputy chief
of naval staff. The total strength of the navy in 1994 was
54,000, including 5,000 naval aviation personnel and 1,000
marines (one regiment, with a second reportedly forming).
Women were inducted into the
Indian navy for the first time in 1992, when twenty-two were
trained as education, logistics, and law cadres. In 1993 additional
women were recruited for air traffic control duties. By 1994
there were thirty-five women naval officers.
The Indian navy is deployed
under three area commands, each headed by a flag officer.
The Western Naval Command is headquartered in Bombay on the
Arabian Sea; the Southern Naval Command in Kochi (Cochin),
in Kerala, also on the Arabian Sea; and the Eastern Naval
Command in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the Bay of Bengal.
Additionally, the navy has important bases in Calcutta and
Goa.
The Southern Naval Command
is responsible for naval officer training, which occurs at
the Indian Naval Academy in Goa. Officer candidates are largely
drawn from the National Defence Academy. After commissioning,
officers are offered specialized training in antisubmarine
warfare, aviation, communications, electronic warfare, engineering,
hydrography, maritime warfare, missile warfare, navigation,
and other naval specialties at various naval training institutions,
many of which are collocated with the Training Command headquarters
on Willingdon Island, near Kochi.
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Indian Navy 