Think Tank Calls For Indian National Maritime Policy
Aerospace Daily & Defense Report July 23, 2010 FUNDING & POLICY NEW DELHI — India requires greater maritime awareness and a maritime policy for its navy that will allow it to work toward building the right force mix for protecting the country’s interests, according to the National Maritime Foundation (NMF) think tank. While the Indian navy released a vision document in 2006 focusing on a technology-enabled, networked force to safeguard maritime interests, experts say this will need to be backed by a national policy to give it teeth and direction. Changing geopolitics in the Indian Ocean have led to new imperatives in the region. Globalization and trade have made China and India more reliant on the seas and nearly 90% of world trade in commodities and goods flows through the oceans. However, Delhi is quite coy about identifying the hierarchy of its threats, says strategic affairs analyst Raja Mohan. Challenges are many as India becomes a major power with significant ma...