"WE NEED THREE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS"

The requirement of a third aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy has also been acknowledged by the Standing Committee on Defence. Further, while the requirement for a third aircraft carrier is being actively considered by the government, the Indian Navy is already underway’ in bringing the nascent imperatives to the drawing board, says ADMIRAL R HARI KUMAR, Chief of Naval Staff, Indian Navy, in this exclusive interview with Geopotitics

As the principal organisation for preserving and promoting India’s maritime interests in general, and in the Indo-Pacific in particular, how do you as the leader of the Indian Navy view the factors of geopolitics and geoeconomics? 

Before I speak on the Indo-Pacific Region, I feel it is important that we understand the underlying principle of India’s approach– not just to the region but also to the world at large. Put quite simply, as articulated by our Hon’ble External Affairs Minister in his book ‘The India Way’, I quote- “India will grow with others, not separately”. This, in essence, sums up our outlook.

Now, to the Indo-Pacific. The region has remained an expression or idea that defines the contemporary geostrategic world- with India being privileged to be at the core of this defining idea of our times. The centrality of this region is further underscored by the fact that numerous states and groupings have articulated their Indo-Pacific strategies and visions. To my mind, this region could be aptly termed the global ‘Centre of Gravity of geopolitics and geoeconomics.

Geopolitical relations in the Indo-Pacific have increasingly become complex, as cooperation and competition co-exist. The increased centrality of the Indo-Pacific region in global geostrategic calculus is accompanied by a return of great power competition, which is here to stay. Our resource-rich region is also the arena for jostling between states for influence, resources, markets, and energy among others. Notwithstanding this jostling, the intricately interwoven and interdependent matrix of economic relations also mandates a certain level of cooperation among all states. This simultaneous competition and cooperation driven by self-interest accentuate the complexities of security.