COLUMNIST: DEVINDRA SETHI
Maritime India
Captain Devindra Sethi is an alumnus of India's National Defense Academy, the College of Defense Management, the College of Naval Warfare and the War College in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Indian aircraft carriers INS Viraat and INS Vikrant were brought back to
"combat state" from refit in the 1990s by Captain Sethi. He is a successful entrepreneur in the maritime industry and fluent in English, Russian and Hindi.
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March 18, 2010New Delhi, India — The recent visit of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to New Delhi has revealed new trends in the relationships between India, Russia and the United States. In 24 hours Russia concluded agreements in defense, nuclear power, trade, mining, foreign policy, aeronautics and space cooperation.
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March 05, 2010New Delhi, India — The Sixth Land and Naval Defense Systems Exhibition held in New Delhi last month showcased the country’s new equipment inducted into its army and navy. Defexpo 2010 saw over 650 companies from around the world display their products and systems for possible acquisition by India’s military.
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February 18, 2010New Delhi, India — Think tanks in China are publishing studies of countries like Germany, Italy and Japan that acquired assets and colonies overseas to feed their domestic industries to ensure rapid modernization and build state-of-the-art economies. Both China and India are adopting similar strategies today.
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January 28, 2010New Delhi, India — As China progresses from a regional power to a country with global ambitions, it has increasingly realized that its shortcomings at sea are an impediment. Its navy is now launching modern destroyers and submarines to meet its national ambitions.
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January 19, 2010New Delhi, India — Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor remarked at a seminar in New Delhi on Dec. 30, 2009, that the army was ready to fight a two-front war simultaneously with China and Pakistan. As India grows strong it expects a threat to its sovereignty, especially at sea where 80 percent of its trade is plied.
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December 31, 2009New Delhi, India — The recent climate conference in Copenhagen saw the emergence of a new trinity at the head-of-state level. With the economic center of gravity shifting eastward, it is imperative that the United States partners with India and China to play a leadership role in world affairs.
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December 17, 2009New Delhi, India — The Sri Lankan government decided in 2008 to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with all its military might and in early 2009, eliminated the terrorist organization. This achievement by a democratic nation is unparalleled. But Sri Lanka must now protect the innocent, weak, women and children.
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December 10, 2009New Delhi, India — India and Russia rediscovered each other in a meeting of minds and hearts during three-days of talks in Moscow that began on Saturday with both sides signing six significant deals including a no-strings-attached civilian nuclear deal. The successful summit has ended years of “cold” bilateral relations.
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November 26, 2009New Delhi, India — The 21st century is witnessing a titanic struggle of asymmetric warfare – the focused, intelligent application of force by a weaker power against a superior enemy. On land, sea and air the high-tech applications of superior powers are being countered by low-tech responses from non-state adversaries.
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November 02, 2009New Delhi, India — Recent years have seen a flurry of orders for aircraft carriers by Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, Russia and China. The sudden focus on air capability at sea represents a paradigm change in the thinking of these states. Is this a harbinger of a new cold war in Asia?
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October 22, 2009New Delhi, India — The ASEAN region is rich in oil and natural gas. A growing demand for energy, imports and exports has led to the growth of shipping companies to corner business opportunities. But wealth has also brought conflict to the region where maritime boundaries remain vague and unresolved.
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October 15, 2009New Delhi, India — The new Asian century has commenced with the three largest economies - India, China and Japan - building maritime capabilities in both the civil and military spheres. Although globalization has been the growth engine for their economies, a large part of their success is due to the rise of their maritime capabilities.
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October 01, 2009New Delhi, India — The Indian Navy recently placed an order for 40 Kaveri marine gas turbines for its naval warships with the country’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment. By placing an additional order for 40 gas turbine generators, it has taken a quantum leap in using “Made in India” hardware rather than buying overseas.
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September 24, 2009New Delhi, India — Chanakya, prime minister and adviser to the emperor in India’s Maurya dynasty, famously wrote in a treatise some 2,000 years ago, “The geography of a country determines its history.” India straddles three important waterways that are crucial to the present globalized world, dependent on sea trade.
