Indian Navy intensifies surveillance in Indian Ocean region to track Chinese activities

Post India’s bitter clash with China in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, the Indian Navy has intensified its surveillance missions and ramped up its deployments in the Indian Ocean region, PTI reported people familiar with the development as saying. The sources further added that in view of the emerging situations, the Indian Navy has been enhancing its operational cooperation with friendly naval forces like the US Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. The Indian Navy had on Saturday undertaken an exercise with the Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean region. Sources told PTI that this exercises was done in an area that is frequented by the Chinese naval vessels and submarines. The report added that the Indian Navy ships – INS Rana and INS Kulish – were part of the exercise, whereas Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces had also deployed their two ships – JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki. The source was quoted as saying that the aim of the exercise was to enhance interoperability between the two navies. To counter China’s repeated efforts to expand military influence in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region, the navies from the US, India, Australia, Japan and France have been increasing their mutual cooperation. In the wake of Chinese Navy’s aggressive posturing in South China Sea and Indo-Pacific region and the border standoff between India and China in Ladakh, these exercise have gained major significance. Amidst Chinese Navy’s regular forays in the Indian Ocean Region, the report added that the Indian Navy was asked to raise its alert level. A military expert told PTI that the Indian Navy had increased surveillance to “track Chinese activities in Indian Ocean region.” The sources added that in the past few weeks, the Indian Navy has increased its operational deployment in the Indian Ocean region and enhanced its surveillance missions.