India needs strategic planning in maritime affairs: Mehta

New Delhi: Noting that India “lacks” strategic thinking in terms of maritime affairs, former Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta today emphasised the need for advance planning to counter Chinese moves in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Interacting with reporters in New Delhi, Admiral Mehta, who recently took over as the chairman of Navy’s think-tank National Maritime Foundation (NMF), said the country needs to work on a long-term Indian Ocean policy.[caption id=“attachment_224616” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Admiral (Retd.) Sureesh Mehta. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] “What is, of course, lacking in terms of maritime awareness is the strategic thinking. I see that lot many things (are) happening, but basically everybody is fighting fire. Everyday a new problem comes up and we are rushing to find a solution to that,” he said. “There is no long-term policy in place. For example, there is no Indian Ocean policy and we need to have one and people need to work on this,” he added. Replying to a question on ways to tackle increasing presence of Chinese Navy in Indian Ocean, he underlined the need for advance planning. “Naturally we have to take certain steps in advance when China is concerned. For example, there are talks of String of Pearls and that China has encircled us. But it is China’s policy and it is going to encircle us… So we need to do something about this,” he said. He denied that the balance of power in Indian Ocean has tilted in favour of China after its Navy was allowed to make port calls in Seychelles. “There is no such thing. It is Indian Ocean and it’s not like that anyone else will have an increased influence here. China actually has got the right for its ships to visit Seychelles. We have this arrangement with so many countries, such as the refilling halts,” he said. Mehta said China needed to make such arrangement after it deployed its Navy to fight pirates in Gulf of Aden. “This is a normal way of working, and it does not mean that someone will have increased influence. Since their ships have started working over here like in piracy business etc, they need to have some port facilities and they have made their arrangements,” he said. On tackling piracy in Gulf of Aden, he underlined the need for making proper laws. On whether India is moving slowly to make anti-piracy laws, he said, “Actually, everybody is going slow for some reason or the other. Nobody has got a law to take pirates back in their country and try them… Countries need to make their laws and may be United Nations can have a bigger charter over there.” PTI