India Navy USAGM
Metadata
- India Navy USAGM
- February 7, 2024
- India has deployed at least ten warships in the Arabian Sea to provide security to merchant ships in the waters east of the Red Sea where drone attacks by Houthi rebels and a resurgence in piracy are posing a challenge. As Anjana Pasricha reports, India’s large naval deployment is seen as part of the country’s ambition to be seen as a rising power.
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: India Navy HEADLINE: India Projects Maritime Power in Arabian Sea Amid Houthi Strikes and Piracy Resurgence TEASER: Boosting naval presence in Indian Ocean signals India’s aspirations to be counted a responsible emerging power PUBLISHED: BYLINE: Anjana Pasricha CONTRIBUTOR: ASSIGNING EDITOR: pcd DATELINE: New Delhi VIDEOGRAPHER: Awanish Singh PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: pcd, wpm VIDEO SOURCE: Original, Reuters, AFP PLATFORMS: TRT: VID APPROVED BY: TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES: The sentences in italics are for radio script)) ((INTRO)) [[India has deployed at least ten warships in the Arabian Sea to provide security to merchant ships in the waters east of the Red Sea where drone attacks by Houthi rebels and a resurgence in piracy are posing a challenge. As Anjana Pasricha reports, India’s large naval deployment is seen as part of the country’s ambition to be seen as a rising power.]] ((Video: Indian Navy personnel dousing fire on tanker, captain of tanker talking, still image of smoke from merchant ship, warning firing shots being fired by Indian Navy warship during rescue operation of Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi, Indian Navy helicopter hovering over hijacked vessel, Indian Navy personnel approaching hijacked vessel on inflated raft)) ((NARRATOR)) From helping douse a fire on a Marshall-Islands flagged tanker that was struck by a missile fired by Houthi rebels, to rescuing vessels hijacked by pirates, Indian navy warships have been providing security to merchant ships in the Arabian Sea. ((Video: video from U.S. central command showing launches from USS Gravely, USS Carney, and USS Dwight d. Eisenhower supporting strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi targets of missile launches from ships, military plane taking off runway, Aerial shot boat approaching MV Lila Norfolk vessel in the Arabian Sea)) India has not joined the U.S.-led task force for the Red Sea that is launching strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels whose missile and drone attacks on commercial ships have disrupted global trade. ((Video: File shots of Indian warship INS Kolkata, rescued crew members on a fishing vessel sitting, cheering)) But since December India has deployed about 10 warships that include guided missile cruisers as well as surveillance aircraft to police waters east of the Red Sea. ((For Radio: Harsh Pant, Vice President Studies and Foreign Policy at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi explains the significance of India’s maritime boost in the Arabian Sea.)) ((Harsh Pant, Observer Research Foundation, Male in English via Skype)) “I think the scale (of deployment) is quite unprecedented and in some ways, this represents the confidence the Indian navy has in its own abilities and the requirement to be seen as a benevolent regional player that is not simply looking after its own interests but also the interests of the global common.” ((Video: Shot of dousing fire on tanker, still image of hijackers on Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, still image of hijacked ship, still image of hijackers kneeling after rescue mission and Indian navy personnel standing behind hijackers)) ((NARRATOR)) The navy has helped at least two ships struck by missiles and drones according to Indian officials. But amid a resurgence in piracy, much of its focus has been on conducting anti-piracy patrols. Last week it helped rescue two Iranian-flagged fishing vessels hijacked by pirates and released their crew members taken as hostages. ((Video: Commissioning ceremony of Indian navy ship, Defense Minister Singh unveiling plaque, Indian navy official presenting Singh with replica of navy ship)) Commissioning a hydrographic survey ship, India Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the naval forces aim to protect both trade and regional security. ((Indian Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh, Male in Hindi via Reuters)) "Our navy has become so strong that we have become the first responder in terms of security in the Indian Ocean and Indian Pacific region. I say that with confidence." ((Video: Indian military trucks in Ladakh, soldiers coming out of plane, military transport plane taxiing, INS Imphal ship)) ((NARRATOR)) While border disputes with China and Pakistan in the Himalayas had long kept India’s focus on the army, the country has also built up its naval prowess in recent decades acquiring more advanced ships, submarines and aircraft. ((For Radio: D.K. Sharma, is a former Indian navy spokesperson)) ((D.K. Sharma, former Indian Navy spokesperson, Male in English, via Zoom)) “We are one of the biggest forces here, and we know the world’s trade is moving through these routes and we go with freedom of seas, freedom of navigation…. that is why this deployment has happened to scan the area, sanitize the area.” ((Video: Shots of Arabian Sea and Mumbai’s skyline, Indian Navy on guard)) ((NARRATOR)) Projecting power in the Indian Ocean, which India calls its backyard, signals the country’s aspirations to be counted as a responsible emerging power. ((For Radio: Analyst Pant again)) ((Harsh Pant, Observer Research Foundation, Male in English via Skype)) “Increasingly that seems to be the answer India is providing, that we are willing to work with the world towards collective ends, we are not a disruptor to the global order, regional order, we want to be a responsible stakeholder… so naturally if there is a crisis happening around your periphery, India has to step up to the plate and make its own contribution.” ((Video: Indian Navy soldiers with Singh, Wide shot of navy chief on stage at an event, missile launchers on Imphal destroyer, sailors walking near it, Indian Navy personnel dousing fire on tanker, still image of smoke rising from attacked merchant vessel, Indian Navy helicopter hovering over hijacked vessel)) ((NARRATOR)) Indian officials hope their deployment will prevent the threats to merchant vessels spilling beyond the Red Sea. ((Anjana Pasricha, VOA News, New Delhi))
- Rights “Rights are not granted for this content on YouTube. Posting of this content on YouTube is strictly prohibited.”
- Network VOA
- Location (dateline) New Delhi
- Embargo Date February 7, 2024 07:43 EST
- Byline Anjana Pasricha
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English