'We are developing India's Andaman Nicobar Command into a strategic outpost as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) calls it,' Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan , the CINCAN says.
In 'The Arc Of Power' series Part III, we speak to the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) on board the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Saryu. In Sri Vijaya Puram, known as Port Blair till September 2014, he points out India 'wants to be seen as the preferred security partner in this region. We have also got a significant role as far as our economic zone is concerned. Almost 30% of India's coastal line is here in these islands. We also have 30% of the exclusive economic zone of India. Protecting that is a huge challenge. And we have a lot of vested interests, who are looking at this. So all this combined makes Andaman and Nicobar a significant territory'.
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'What we have been seeing,' Air Marshal Balakrishnan says, 'is the increased presence of extra regional forces. We do have, at any given time, about 3 to 4 task forces of the Chinese operating in Indian Ocean region. They have been doing exercises with Pakistan in a big way. Bangladesh and Myanmar have been stepped up. There is also an attempt to revive the Kra canal project or a road bridge over it (Thailand). There is development of marine infrastructure by China across all littoral countries. You already have Hambantota. We have Pekua (Bangladesh). You have Kyaukpyu (Myanmar) coming up. We have the Ream (port) project in Cambodia). So it's a combination of all these factors. We have also seen an increasing trend of Chinese research (spy, surveillance and intelligence) vessels. And so every time they are there. Whenever we are in the process of launching missile testing or even their own satellite launches, as far as satellite tracking is concerned, in the garb of doing that, they are here'.