Retired Indian Navy Rear Admiral: The Chinese jugular is in the Indian Ocean

[mota bhai 2,675]

Instead of pouring money into raising a force that can hardly address the Indian Army’s drawbacks at the border, our decision makers should have focussed on addressing China’s weaknesses in the Indian Ocean

In the history of Indian strategic thought, the decision to create a mountain strike corps against China will remain a landmark.

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It has been argued that China is a continental power with a huge land army. It is making amends by funding its Navy strongly, to change the balance. But its army reforms have converted its land forces into a large armoured and air mobile force capable of rapid redeployment.

Under these conditions, to raise an infantry heavy mountain strike corps has obvious disadvantages. First, it would be geographically confined to one or two axes of movement and capable of being blunted. Secondly, whatever we may do on land, we will remain an asymmetric power vis-à-vis the huge People’s Liberation Army (PLA), whose defence budget is thrice ours. Thirdly, a strike corps in the mountains denies us the time and place of a counter offensive, because it is geographically limited.

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The Indian Army is ... one of the most infantry heavy armies in the world. Its armour-to-infantry ratio is badly skewed, it is not air mobile, its manoeuvre capability is poor and Rs.60,000 crore would have addressed all these deficiencies and more. Instead, with the strike corps it will become even more infantry heavy and Rs.60,000 crore will have been wasted in barely addressing the tremendous disparity with the PLA’s mobility, numbers and manoeuvre capability. It must be remembered that we are addressing mountain warfare, where high altitude acclimatisation is a necessity for soldiers before being deployed. So the mountain strike corps would already be at high altitudes with little possibility of being redeployed without huge air mobility. All this should have been apparent to the Army Aviation Corps whose leaders seem bereft of strategic thinking, having flown light helicopters all their lives. Stopping the advancing Chinese in the mountains strung out through the valleys should have required specialised ground support aircraft like the A-10 Warthog, another strategic choice which was probably ignored by the army aviation branch.

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The border issue appears to have been treated purely as an army problem for which only the army can find a solution, with the other arms of the government contributing nothing. Most of all, we appear not to have assessed the Chinese weakness and strengths. Their strength is the huge logistic network that they have built up in Tibet. By creating a one axis strike corps, we have played into their strengths. The Chinese weakness lies in the Indian Ocean, a fact that even Beijing will readily concede. The clash between their political system and economic prosperity requires resources and, increasingly, the Chinese resource pool is Africa, which generates massive sea lines of communication (SLOC) through the Indian Ocean. Today, they are merely SLOCs; tomorrow they will be the Chinese Jugular. Beijing’s paranoia about the Indian Ocean is therefore understandable but the threat according to its strategic commentators comes only from the U.S. Sixty thousand crore spent on strengthening the Indian Navy’s SLOC interdiction capability would have given us a stranglehold on the Chinese routes through the Indian Ocean. The Himalayan border, the entire border, could have been held hostage by our strength in the Indian Ocean with an investment of Rs.60,000 crore.

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What we are looking for is an asymmetric capability to balance the Chinese four-fold advantage in GDP over India. Finding the solution requires all arms of the government to debate where our scarce resources should go. A geographically limited one axis offensive will not destabilise the PLA, but a flotilla of nuclear submarines and a three carrier air group in the Indian Ocean can economically cripple mainland China.

(Raja Menon retired as Rear Admiral in the Indian Navy)

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-mountain-strike-corps-is-not-the-only-option/article4963979.ece

Edited August 19, 2013 by amriki bhai

[Jacque67 7,328]

Does China want to invade India?

[mota bhai 2,675]

The Himalayan border is disputed, almost in entirety. Most of the disputes are over land India currently administers.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Isn't it just posturing ? ( I have no detailed knowledge about this btw)So if India re-enforces it's naval presence what will happen? Does India want to invade China?

[mota bhai 2,675]

Isn't it just posturing ? ( I have no detailed knowledge about this btw)So if India re-enforces it's naval presence what will happen? Does India want to invade China?

Based on what I'm reading, it sounds like India is comfortable leaving the Himalayan border in its current state but believes China is not. This is about creating an effective deterrent.

Politically, there would be great rewards for the Indian political party that liberates Tibet but I don't think anyone in charge thinks that is actually possible.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

i have to agree with the admiral on all but the last line (which you bolded). nuke subs and carries are ungodly expensive to develop, build, and maintain - not to mention putting a lot of eggs into one basket. india may wish to explore the newest diesel subs.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Tibet is such a mess .( I hope this isn't against TOS) I wanted to go there until one if my profs told me people don't bathe their for most of the year- I go nuts if I can't take a shower at least once a day.

It sounds like this retired Naval Rear Admiral just wants to get more financing for his guys. The Chinese navy is quite aggressive towards Japanese islands, but I don't think anything will happen. People are more politically aware nowadays.

[mota bhai 2,675]

The Chinese navy is quite aggressive towards Japanese islands, but I don't think anything will happen. People are more politically aware nowadays.

You believe that because people have Internet and cable news, that somehow prevents the Chinese from acting on their maritime claims?

[Jacque67 7,328]

i have to agree with the admiral on all but the last line (which you bolded). nuke subs and carries are ungodly expensive to develop, build, and maintain - not to mention putting a lot of eggs into one basket. india may wish to explore the newest diesel subs.

Where are these subs manufactured? What is their advantage?

[mota bhai 2,675]

According to Wikipedia, India has "Diesel-Electric" submarines made mostly in Russia (some Germany). And have ordered a bunch of French scorpenes (sp?).

Edited August 19, 2013 by amriki bhai

[Jacque67 7,328]

You believe that because people have Internet and cable news, that somehow prevents the Chinese from acting on their maritime claims?

I think the more educated and powerful Chinese people will be able to restrain any over the top military or naval action. I think they will put economic advantages above militaristic- ideological principals.

According to Wikipedia, India has "Diesel-Electric" submarines made mostly in Russia (some Germany).

Well judging by Aeroflot and considering the corruption of Russian oligarchs , I hope they don't buy any- lol

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

Where are these subs manufactured? What is their advantage?

pretty much anywhere. france, germany, usa, and so on. main advantages - extremely quiet, not as expensive to build/operate/maintain as a nuke sub,

disadvantages - not nearly the endurance or depth capability of a nuke.

but if one wants to launch torpedoes, the torpedoes are the same whether they come from a nuke or diesel. plus you'd have more torpedoes in the water with diesel subs as a nation can afford more of them than nuke subs.

a very interesting article for differences between nukes and diesels

http://csis.org/blog/nuclear-vs-diesel-submarines

[Jacque67 7,328]

In a global economy what is to be gained by having a supposed strong hold of the seas by India. I think China is being created as some kind of boogeyman . This retired Naval officer has financial motives IMHO.

[mota bhai 2,675]

In a global economy what is to be gained by having a supposed strong hold of the seas by India. I think China is being created as some kind of boogeyman . This retired Naval officer has financial motives IMHO.

The idea being advanced is that because China needs their sea lanes to Africa and the Middle East, Indian ability to disrupt those sea lanes will deter the Chinese from attempting to change the status quo at the Himalayan border.

[Jacque67 7,328]

So the Indian navy will threaten to sink Chinese merchant ships if the Indian army doesn't manage to secure land in the Himalayas? Wow! Armageddon !