Podcast: Admiral, It's Time

This episode of The Armchair Perspectives Podcast explores the critical role new Indian Navy chief Admiral Swaminathan can play in growing the Navy’s footprint in theatres such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Straits of Malacca where conflicts are ongoing or could break out at any moment.

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On 31st of May, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan became the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy.

As Navy chief, Admiral Swaminathan now holds the reins of the largest naval force in the Indian Ocean region that spans a width of over 7,600 kilometres between the horn of Africa and the Australian coast.

As the new chief, the Admiral will have several critical hats to wear. In his tenure, the navy is likely to sign contracts to acquire six new diesel electric submarines from Germany, a fleet of next-generation corvettes with significant stealth and firepower, a new generation of destroyers and frigates, and a batch of S5 class ballistic nuclear submarines.

In his tenure, the Navy is also likely to receive the first batch of the 24 Rafale multirole strike aircraft it ordered from Dassault Aviation, sign a contract to purchase more P8I maritime surveillance aircraft, and grow its fleet of 24 brand new MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

Admiral Swaminathan's job will be to steer the massive wave of modernisation. He has to right-size the Naval staff to man major naval ships entering the service, introduce next-generation education and training across the fleets, and create a naval armada capable of dominating the high seas and winning wars in uphold Indian supremacy in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.

But his most significant challenge is to influence the Indian government's decision-making powers to make true use of the Navy's growing capabilities, particularly in theatres such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Straits of Malacca that serve as vital trade links that sustain the nation's economy.

For Admiral Swaminathan, the need of the hour is to identify the kind of assets, technologies and logistics the Navy will need in the future to conduct long range maritime patrols and dominate the high seas.

This episode of The Armchair Perspectives Podcast explores the critical role of the new chief in growing the Navy’s footprint in contested waters and to bring conflicts to a quick and decisive end.

Here's the full transcript of this Armchair Perspectives podcast:

Hello and welcome to the Armchair Perspectives Podcast, and I am Jayant Chakravarti, your host for today.

This show is dedicated to covering the most pressing military and geopolitical events around the world, and in today's podcast, we will look at a significant transition in the Indian armed forces in recent days - the appointment of a new Chief of the Naval Staff.

On 31st of May, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan became the 27th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. Commissioned in 1987, Admiral Swaminathan is a Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, and served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command before he was appointment as the chief.

He previously commanded prestigious naval vessels like the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, guided missile destroyer INS Mysore, guided missile corvette INS Kulish, and smaller guided missile vessels in the earlier stages of his career.

His other major appointments were as vice chief of the Naval Staff, as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command, as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

As Navy Chief, Admiral Swaminathan now holds the reins of the largest naval force in the Indian Ocean region that spans a width of over 7,600 kilometres between the horn of Africa and the Australian coast.

The Navy isn't just patrolling the immense expanse of the seas, it is closely monitoring thousands of cargo ships traversing the sea lanes, looking for anomalies and strays. It tracks and captures pirate ships that venture far into the deep seas, and above all, keeps close watch on stealthy enemy submarines that quietly patrol the depths of the ocean, looking for spaces to exploit.

The Navy is constantly defending the 7,000 kilometre long coastline from immigrant ships, boats carrying drugs, weapons and terrorists, enemy ships testing the waters, and hostile fishing armies intent on emptying the seas of shallow marine life.

That isn't all. The Navy sends out detachments to conduct regular naval exercises, delivers aid to coastal neighbours, secures deep sea communication lines, and most importantly, deploys ballistic nuclear submarines far and deep in the ocean to give the country its vital second strike option.

As the new chief, Admiral Swaminathan will have several critical hats to wear. In his tenure, the navy is likely to sign contracts to acquire six new diesel electric submarines from Germany, a fleet of next-generation corvettes with significant stealth and firepower, a new generation of massive destroyers, and construct a batch of S5 class nuclear submarines.

In his tenure, the Navy is also likely to receive the first batch of the 24 Rafale multirole strike aircraft it ordered from Dassault Aviation, sign a contract to purchase more P8I maritime surveillance aircraft, and stabilise its fleet of 24 brand new MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.

The Navy is also pushing the government to greenlight the construction of a new 65,000 ton aircraft carrier to complement the two in-service carriers. If the contract gets signed, the Navy will have two critical projects in hand - the construction of the new carrier, and the final testing and induction of the K5 next-generation Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile with a range of up to 6,000 kilometres.

Admiral Swaminathan's job will be to steer the massive wave of modernisation. He has to right-size the Naval staff to man major naval ships entering the service, introduce next-generation education and training across the fleets, and create a naval armada capable of dominating the high seas and winning wars in uphold Indian supremacy in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.

But his most significant challenge is to influence the Indian government's decision-making powers to make true use of the Navy's growing capabilities. The Indian Navy is today a powerful force and is presently integrating its firepower and strategies with the Air Force and the Army to establish long-term dominance in both its western and eastern fronts.

But the real challenge at present has been making its presence felt in the existing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz which has threatened the supply of critical resources such as oil, natural gas and a vast variety of goods imported from the West.

Indian naval vessels have escorted cargo containers and LPG carriers from the Iranian coast to Indian ports, but the Navy has failed to establish a dominating, neutral and stabilising presence in or around the Strait of Hormuz to ensure smooth passage of cargo containers and prevent ongoing battles between the US and Iran.

Could the Navy, through its sheer numbers and dominating presence in the Persian Gulf, prevent the US administration from moving carrier battle groups into the region? Could a combination of naval might and calculated diplomacy have possibly enabled negotiations without nations going to war?

This is a question that the Navy, and the government, have to think about as certain choke points, be it the Strait of Hormuz or the Straits of Malakka, serve as vital links that sustain the nation's economy. Can a third country be allowed to choke these vital gateways at little cost to itself but create a crisis situation in India?

India's critical dependence on overseas supply of oil, gas and other critical resources necessitates that the Indian Navy's primary objective should not just be to patrol its coastal waters, but to use offensive strategies or deployments, if necessary, to secure trade routes in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian sea, the Persian Gulf and the Bay of Bengal.

For Admiral Swaminathan, the need of the hour is to identify the kind of assets, technologies and logistics the Navy will need in the future to conduct long range maritime patrols. If deploying a carrier battle group hundreds of miles away from the shores is too costly or risky, could smaller fleets of frigates armed with high endurance drones serve the purpose?

The war in Iran has shown countries to the east of the Persian Gulf that it can be prohibitively costly to indulge in or tolerate ego battles of Western leaders. President Trump's mission to show Iran its place and dominate the Gulf has had a significant impact on Asian countries. It is time for naval strategists like Admiral Swaminathan to find ways to ensure the next war will never happen.

Thanks for listening to the Armchair Perspectives Podcast. See you next time.

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