Two warships of the Indian Navy have set sail to join the US Navy destroyers in South China Sea, where Beijing has been expanding its presence since 2009 thorough artificial islands and military presence. The vessels have been deployed all along the Indian Ocean, especially the Malacca Straits as it is used by China to move towards other countries.
A report by news agency ANI quoted its government sources as saying: “Soon after the Galwan clash broke out in which 20 of our soldiers were killed, the Indian Navy deployed one of its frontline warship to the South China Sea where the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy objects to the presence of any other force claiming the majority of the waters as part of its territory.”
The report further quoted its sources as saying that the immediate deployment of the Indian Navy warship in the South China Sea had a desired effect on the Chinese Navy and security establishment as they complained to the Indian side about the Indian warship’s presence there during the diplomatic level talks with the Indian side.
During the deployment in the South China Sea, where the American Navy had also deployed its destroyers and frigates, the Indian warship was continuously maintaining contact with their American counterparts over secure communication systems, the sources were quoted as saying.
As part of the routine drills, the Indian warship was being constantly updated about the status of the movement of military vessels of other countries there, they said, adding that the entire mission was carried out in a very hush-hush manner to avoid any public glare on Navy’s activities.
Around the same time, the Indian Navy had deployed its frontline vessels along the Malacca Straits near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the route from where the Chinese Navy enters the Indian Ocean Region to keep a check on any activity of the Chinese Navy, the report stated. A number of Chinese vessels also pass through the Malacca Straits while returning with oil or taking merchant shipments towards other continents.
The sources were quoted as saying that the Indian Navy is fully capable of checking any misadventure by the adversaries on either the eastern or the western front and the mission-based deployments have helped it to control the emerging situations effectively in and around the Indian Ocean Region.
The Navy also has plans to urgently acquire and deploy autonomous underwater vessels and other unmanned systems and sensors to keep a close eye on the movement of PLAN from Malacca Straits towards the Indian Ocean Region, the report quoted its sources.
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