January 15, 2025 is a red-letter day in the history of Indian Navy. In one go, the Navy inducted three war ships, all built with over 75% indigenous technology in a record time – a matter of pride for the nation and a great boost to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in the defence sector. Commissioning INS Surat (stealth destroyer), INS Nilgiri (stealth frigate) and INS Vaghsheer (Scorpene-class submarine), PRIME Minister Narendra Modi rightly remarked that it was indeed a big day for India’s maritime heritage. With a rich legacy of long sea voyages, commerce and naval defence and ship building industry in the golden ages gone by (the Chola dynasty comes to one’s mind), India is again emerging as a major maritime power in the world.

A strong Navy is a must not just to defend the country, but also to ensure security, freedom of navigation on high seas, particularly in the Indo Pacific in view of an increasingly assertive China. India has a long coastline to the Indian Ocean. As much as 90% of our trade and 80% of our critical freight –coal, petroleum and gas, iron ore, fertilizers etc – move in its waters. Indo Pacific also contributes 62% of the global GDP with 50% of the global trade and 40% of oil moving through the region. The region has emerged as the world’s most dynamic geopolitical zone and is the centre of gravity of the economic & strategic interests. Thus, securing trade supply lines and sea routes is crucial for all countries in the Indo Pacific region, especially the Global South. Committed to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, India has emerged as the first responder in the Indian Ocean Region. Its SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) initiative launched in 2015 seeks to bolster economic cooperation and maritime security capabilities of its neighbours.

The induction of three key deterrants by the Navy also marks a key milestone in the Aatmanirbharta (selfreliance) of by India’s armed forces.

It is heartening to note PM’s revelation that the country would no longer need to import as many as 5,000 defence items and equipment. The Mazagon Dockyard Shipbuilders (MDB) Limited, Mumbai, richly deserves the encomiums showered upon it by the Prime Minister on the occasion. Over the past decade, 33 ships and seven submarines were inducted by the Navy. Almost all were built at Indian shipyards, including INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and nuclear submarines INS Arihant and INS Arighat. India’s defence production now exceeds Rs 1.25 lakh crore, with exports to over 100 nations. It offers vast scope for private sector participation. At present, 60 large vessels are in various stages of construction, involving the micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSME). Thus, enhancing the Atmanirbharta in defence also affords great opportunities for employment generation. Maritime employment currently numbers about three lakh now. The Navy is said to lag in drone warfare. It is where private sector role is called for, both for joint investments as also for infusion of innovation. Recall, how Ukraine is troubling the Russian Navy with its drones, each costing just about $500.

No doubt, as PM Modi said, India is emerging as a major maritime power in the world, but the government needs to pay heed to analysts warnings and double down on its

efforts in view of China stepping up its presence in the Indo-Pacific region in an apparent bid at ‘encirclement of India’ to scuttle its expansion as a major power in the region. Defence outlays remained between 1.5 to 2 per cent of GDP and there is a need to raise the spending to 2.5% of GDP to deter Chinese and Pakistani adventurism.