“Have to ensure that we are ready to take on all the known challenges”: Indian Navy Chief
New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, said that the Indian Navy needs to ensure that it is ready to take on all the known challenges and expressed preparedness for whatever is yet to come. He said that the Indian Navy is moving on all domains to be future-ready.
In his remarks during the discussion on Deepwater Perils: Securing Trade during the Raisina Dialogue on Wednesday, he recalled that while growing up in the navy, all the innovations in military domains happened either through state-sponsored R&D labs or big tech corporations and added that now technology can be purchased online.
On being asked about what India is doing for being future-ready, Admiral Tripathi said, “As a navy we take pride that, we are a learning organisation and learning organisation, one of the attributes is that one has to of course keep your ears and eyes open, not only the military domain but also in the geopolitics technology and the tactics as being employed by both state, quasi-state and non-state actors. So, we have been doing this for some years and the aim is that’s exactly what it was, so that we are future ready. We are not caught unawares. We are not surprised by the turn of events. Having said that, we are also aware that, for the past several years,all these three elements which are enunciated the geopolitics, technology, and tactics in the security domain has been in a state of flux which which have become faster or accentuated in the last 3 or 4 years, and this audience is fully aware of what I’m talking about.”
“So, what we need to do is that, as a navy, I’m talking as a navy, I’m sure as the armed forces of the Union as well. We have to ensure that we are ready to take on all the known challenges. We are reasonably prepared for something which is yet to come. But the…of what is to come is already seen in a large measure. So uh we we have got structures in terms of force structuring as to what kind of force structuring we want. What kind of deployments you want to do, for deterrence, I think one of my co-panelists use that word because we truly believe that a navy which is not deployed does not deter and we have been deploying our ships far and wide,” he added.
He said that the Indian Navy is working with partners and learning the best practices from them in all domains. He noted that great importance has been given to have “self-reliance” in the past few years and mentioned that there is great talent in the youth and individual entrepreneurs who have got the knowledge and will to do something for the nation in the defence ecosystem.
He said, “We have been working with partners and learning the best practices from them in all domains and without exception, all my friends were sitting here, we have got multilateral constructs to deal with them, to exercise with them. We have got trilateral, bilateral constructs. We have methods by which we can talk to each other, exercise with each other. So, finally, I think it will what will come as future ready as we have seen in the last especially the last 3-4 years is that we have to have self-reliance, especially in a niche defence technology and at any point of time there could be a break in supply chains as we have seen in the recent past. So there is a greater now, I would say importance being given for what we call in Hindi ‘aatmanirbharta’ self-reliance, and I’m very happy to tell you that there is a great talent in the youth, specially in the small, MSMEs, individual entrepreneurs who have got the knowledge and more importantly who have got that will that they want to do something for the country in the defence ecosystem. So, we are tapping that through multiple structures so that as far as technology is concerned, we always remain ahead of the curve. Having said that, I just want to tell you that as far as the technology is concerned, there is a word called democratisation of technology.”
“Now earlier, when we were growing up in the navy, all the innovations in military domain happened either through state-sponsored R&D labs or big tech corporations such as Marthas. You know, they are the ones who led the technology. But, you could buy an idea or a technology online. I don’t want to name. Online, you can assemble in a garage. You can thereafter do some minor adjustments using 3D printing for, for example, everything is available commercially. And thereafter you can show it through social media. Again I don’t want to name it. So there has been a kind of proprietary military technology to commercially proliferated technology and in this game, even the non-state actors are equally adapt and sometimes they could be faster because they don’t have to follow any rules and regulations, processes and procedures. So we’re keeping a track on that as well. And we’re moving on multiple domains to remain future ready,” he added.
Admiral Tripathi said that there is greater participation and synergy between various departments and organisations and noted that there has been improvement. He said that they have reduced timelines in the processes and procedures.
Asked on how India builds and works faster as a government, he responded, “There is a greater realisation that the whole of government approach that everybody has to be into it. Finally, it’s we’re talking about the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country and therefore, the security is everybody’s business and only in the government, in the military, but a normal citizen as well.”
“And therefore there is a greater participation and greater, I would say synergy between various departments between various organisations and I can tell you that in the last decade or so certainly there has been much improvement. We have cut down on timelines in the processes and procedures and more importantly we have cut down on timelines in assembling or constructing platforms. For example, the last ship which we commissioned two months back, there has been a substantial decrease in the construction of that, stealth destroyer, and I’m talking of INS Surat,” he added.
He noted that Raisina Dialogue has grown from strength to strength in the last decade and added that “Indians are incredibly proud of it as to what it has become, from in the last 10 years.”
On developing synergy within a country, especially around national security, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi stated, “Like I said, there is a greater realisation on the part of every citizen of the country that, what needs to be done. The government thrust on self-reliance and aatmanirbharta over the past decade or so has, brought a belief in the youth of the country, some of them who may be sitting here that if they do produce certain niche technologies and they offer to the armed forces, there is a greater acceptance and they will not be found hanging, you know, just for want of orders.”
“What the government has done is that they have facilitated through procedures, through policies, a number of them, which I’m sure this audience is aware where anybody with niche technology can take part in various schemes and in many of the schemes the government actually supports financially up to 25 crores, which is a huge money to for a startup who is just starting. We have seen many success stories out of this. Have we reached where we want to reach? I think it’s still a work in progress, so we have some miles to go, but we will not stop till the time we cross that mile,” he added.
