The Navy Day 2009 is exceptional for many reasons: Instead of reliving the memorable 1971 missile attack on Karachi harbour, the navy will be wondering how secure India’s own coastline is after the 26/11 attacks. While the navy has moved in a different league with the July launch of the nuclear-powered S-2 submarine, the road for achieving the ultimate deterrence will be long, arduous and uncertain. Moreover, the slippages in the Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan (MCPP 2005-2022) for conventional capabilities on account of inadequate warship-building will compel the navy to seek options as otherwise adequate force levels will be difficult to maintain. And with uncertainty over the future of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) 2008, there is a question mark over navy’s diplomacy role, at a time when most littoral nations of the Indian Ocean Region are awestruck by Chinese growing naval power. Amid all these uncertainties, just when the common man needs assurance regarding the nation’s maritime capability, the navy as the lead security agency has decided to disappear from the public eye.

26/11 happened because India’s national security issues continue to be manipulated by bureaucrats with total authority and little accountability. Unfortunately, there are two reasons why more 26/11s cannot be ruled out. First, speaking on the first anniversary of 26/11, the Union home minister, P. Chidambaram publicly ruled out war (with Pakistan) in the 21st century scenario. This dispelled deterrence, if there was any. And second, the grandiose security initiatives announced by Chidambaram within weeks of assuming office after 26/11 remain imperfect because the government still has not succeeded in naming the Maritime Security Advisor, the key appointment to oversee an impregnable maritime security. With sundry central and state agencies involved in securing the vast national coastline, and with a nebulously defined command and control set-up, more and not less confusion would accrue if another ingenuous terrorist attack were to happen on India’s soil. Culled together from close sources, FORCE brings an update on the maritime security imperatives. With little transparency about its activities, the navy as the senior-most would once again find itself at the centre of the storm should Pakistan unleash another mayhem. There are simply too many unplugged operational gaps.