‘India Has Geographic Advantage In Indian Ocean But Shouldn’t Take China For Granted’

NEW DELHI: Disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh may be under way but it’s important to be more vigilant in the months to come, says Rear Admiral Sudarshan Y. Shrikhande (retd). Speaking to StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale, the maritime strategist spoke about China, which was always a problematic continental neighbour, having become ‘a maritime neighbour and needs to be taken seriously in the Indo-Pacific’.

“India has geographic advantages (in the Indian Ocean Region) but these are not etched in stone. Don’t take the enemy for granted. It doesn’t only take competence at the tactical level but greater competence at the operational level of warfare,” he said.

Regarding building deterrence against Chinese advances in the Indian Ocean, Adm Shrikhande (retd) said the Indian Navy can take the counter-force battle to the enemy’s coast by deploying submarines in the South China Sea. “The distance between Chinese ports and Indian Ocean is the same as the distance between Indian ports and South China Sea.”