Transition To Guardianship The Indian Navy 1991–2000

The volume “Transition to Guardianship : The Indian Navy 1991-2000” is the last of the trilogy by the author, the first two being “Transition to Triumph” (1965-75) and “Transition to Eminence” (1975-1990) portraying the history of the Indian Navy on a wide canvas covering 35 years.

The period 1991-2000 was a challenging time due to the sweeping changes in the geopolitical and economic fronts. In the wake of Gulf War, the world witnessed the spectre of spiralling inflation due to a hike in oil prices. The unprecedented spike stunned the defence budgets which called for extraordinary abilities to cope with the grim circumstances in the face of limited funding for defence projects. It was a time of trail for the Navy as it was called upon to do ‘much more with much less’. The situation was aggravated with the disintegration of the USSR, India’s biggest defence supplier. It led to the discarding of the existing Rupee Rouble agreement and a demand for hard currency for defence procurement.

It is testimony to the Navy’s tenacity and resolve that it yet performed with aplomb. Using innovative means, the force level decline was effectively arrested by preserving equipment, innovating to produce in-house designs, encouraging indigenous production and by an improved Public–Private Industry partnership in defence production.

1. Sea Lines of Communication & Choke Points in the Indian Ocean

2. Major Navies in the Indian Ocean

3. The Development of the Navy, 1947–1990

4. Operation Muffet in Somalia 1992 to 1994

5. Operation Tasha

6. Operation Swan on the West Coast

7. Operation Leech, February 1998 : Anti Gun-running Operations in the Andaman Sea

8. Operation Rainbow — November 1999

9. Operation Talwar during the Kargil War in 1999

10. The Navy’s Participation in the Expeditions to Antarctica

11. Defence of Offshore Hydrocarbon Assets

12. The Marine Commandos

13. Goodwill Visits to Foreign Ports

14. Visits of Foreign Naval Ships 1991–2000

15. The Russian Acquisitions

16. Warship Production and Acquisition

17. Project 17 Stealth Frigates

18. The Submarine Arm

19. Commencement, Cessation & Resumption of Indigenous Submarine Construction

20. The Naval Air Arm

21. Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)

22. Maintenance, Repair and Refit Facilities

23. Third Naval Base at Karwar

24. Logistics

25. Integrated Logistics Management System [ILMS]

26. The Contribution of Research and Development to Self-Reliance

27. Underwater Ranges

28. Anti Missile Defence (AMD) Systems

29. Committees on Higher Defence Management — Excerpts on Aspects Affecting the Navy

30. Perspective Naval Planning

31. The New Management Strategy (NMS) — Budgetary Reforms in the Navy

32. Harnessing Information Technology

33. Changes in Command and Control Structure

34. Changes in Naval Headquarters Organisation

35. Personnel and Talent Management

36. Naval Training

37. The New Naval Academy at Ezhimala

38. Flag Officer Sea Training

39. Morale and Discipline

40. The Coast Guard

41. Naval Hydrography and Marine Cartography

42. Naval Oceanology and Meteorology

43. Naval Ceremonial

44. The National Cadet Corps and its Naval Wing

45. Sailing and Yachting

46. The Fifth Central Pay Commission

47. Gallantry Awards

48. Welfare