India ramps up warship patrols in Indian Ocean to keep pace with China but funding gap remains

About 125 foreign vessels were in the Indian Ocean at any given time, according to Indian naval officials

A lack of funding has delayed the navy’s plans to increase its warship fleet as the force tries to match the strength of China and other nations

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India’s indigenous aircraft carrier “Vikrant” commenced its sea trials from the Kochi naval dockyard last August. Photo: Indian navy/AFP

Published: 10:59am, 28 Jan 2022Updated: 11:05am, 28 Jan 2022

India is carrying out more warship patrols than ever before as concerns grow about the country’s ability to remain dominant in the Indian Ocean as China’s naval power quickly increases.

The waters off India haven’t seen this many naval vessels together since the second world war as both China and Western allies deploy more warships in the area, according to senior Indian naval officials familiar with the matter.

They estimated about 125 foreign naval vessels were in the Indian Ocean at any given time, roughly three times the number deployed in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks when the US invaded Afghanistan.

While Indian officials are confident they can manage the threat for now, a lack of funding threatens the country’s ability to keep pace with China and other nations. Most Indian submarines critical to controlling the oceans are about two decades old, and plans to increase the warship fleet to 200 – including a third aircraft carrier – keep getting delayed.

India now has about 130 warships, roughly a third of China’s naval fleet comprising 350 ships and submarines – the largest in the world. Despite that, last year the navy saw the biggest gap among India’s three military services between requested and actual funds, prompting a parliamentary panel to ask the government to stop making further reductions.