Navy chief: Assets deployed, ready for West Asia evacuation

BENGALURU: Chief of naval staff Admiral R Hari Kumar on Saturday said the Indian Navy is on “standby and has deployed assets to undertake evacuation operations, if the need arises”, because of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Fielding questions on the Indian Navy’s role in West Asia in the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Admiral Kumar said: “We have units deployed in the Gulfs of Oman and Aden, and the Red Sea for any assistance.The country is already providing relief materials to Gaza. The Navy is ready to undertake any task given by the government.”
He was in Bengaluru to deliver a keynote address at the Synergia Conclave-2023.
Emphasising the Navy’s role in protecting, preserving, promoting and pursuing national interests, Admiral Kumar outlined plans for the force’s growth, projecting around 165-170 ships and submarines by 2035 from the current 130, and around 220 aircraft.
“We have adequate resources and are reasonably well funded... We have 67 ships and submarines under construction of all sizes. By 2035, we should have about 165-170 ships and submarines, along with an increase in the number of air assets. An acceptance of necessity has been given for another 45 ships and submarines,” he said.
He said complete takeover of artificial intelligence by 2045 — as estimated by domain experts — looks a little far off and that the immediate focus would be manned-unmanned teaming. “We’ve set up an unmanned squadron in Karwar and there is a lot of work happening with unmanned air assets, unmanned surface water vessels, unmanned underwater vessels,” Admiral Kumar said.
In his virtual address, Chief of defence staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan identified future security challenges driven by changes in global geopolitics and technology. He emphasised the evolving nature of diplomacy and the emergence of new rules, noting the increasing proclivity for conflicts without clear end states or exit strategies.