Indian Navy commanders' meet from Wednesday takes COVID hit with fewer participants

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the world and physical distancing being the dominant norm, the biennial conference of the top commanders of the Indian Navy will not be the usual huddle of the top brass. The apex meet will see much smaller participation while the agenda of discussion will be in the realm of the strategic and the tactical in the backdrop of the Indian Ocean region, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: The biennial conference of the top commanders of the Indian Navy will not be the usual huddle of the top brass.

With the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the world and physical distancing being the dominant norm, the apex meet will see much smaller participation while the agenda of discussion will be in the realm of the strategic and the tactical in the backdrop of the Indian Ocean region assuming the contours of geography that will decide the future course of global geopolitics.

In the earlier meets, besides the chief of naval staff, the top three commanders would be present with a good number of senior officials and aides with supporting roles either from the commands or the naval headquarters.

This time it will be just the chief, the top three commanders and just the bare representation from other entities, while the defence minister is expected to be present for just a short session.

Usually, the naval commanders meet twice a year—once in April and then in October. But this time, it would be delayed by about four months when the three-day meet begins from August 19.

With rising military tension between India and China over developments in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere, its implications on the Indian Navy would be a likely theme that will be discussed in detail during the meet.

The Indian military is already on course to setting up of theatre commands under the overall control of the chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat.

Under a theatre command, assets of the army, navy, air force and others would be consolidated under a theatre commander.

Besides maintaining operational alert in the Indian Ocean region, where Chinese warships and submarines have increased their presence, the Indian Navy has deployed some of its air assets over Ladakh like the Mig 29K aircraft to conduct reconnaissance missions.

Another likely scenario that would be discussed is the Navy’s role in the likely formation of a Quad along with the US, Japan and Australia which would effectively be an anti-China alliance.

A strong signal of the formation of the Quad would come if Australia is invited to the upcoming Malabar Exercise of which the final decision is yet to be taken including by the Indian Navy, the defence ministry, the foreign affairs ministry and then the top-level including the political leadership.