Indian Navy

While the Vikrant’s commissioning definitely boosts India’s naval capabilities, the overall trend in naval power is clearly shifting away from India. 

The 47,400-ton warship will be fully operational by the end of 2023.

India’s destiny is firmly anchored in the maritime domain.

The naval arm of the nuclear triad is especially significant for India given its no-first use (NFU) nuclear posture.

China’s increasing activities in the Indo-Pacific have motivated India to embrace military logistics agreements with a wide variety of partners.

Details of the proposal, however, remain murky.

The Indian Navy has a bevvy of planned engagements this spring,. including with the UAE and France.

Given India’s vast coastline and a not-so-benign neighborhood, India has to remain vigilant to external threats via sea routes.

The new command will help India maintain a favorable maritime balance of power when it comes to China.

It is tempting but dangerous to compare India’s carrier progress with that of China. Still, there are some points of warranted comparison. 

The latest iteration comes amid Indian concerns around Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean – and China’s foothold in Sri Lanka.