Round The World

 New Delhi, 3 July 2007

 Indo-US Naval Diplomacy

POSITIVE   DEVELOPMENT

By Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra

School of International Studies, JNU

 As part of the naval diplomacy, the USS Nimitz, the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier has embarked upon a four-day goodwill visit to India. The significance of this lies in the fact that when the Americans celebrate their Independence this year, one of the most powerful element of their naval capability will be in the waters of one of the most vibrant democracies of the world.

The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is a superb aircraft carrier in the United States Navy and one of the largest warships in the world. It was initially commissioned as CVAN-68 by President Gerald Ford in 1975, was later re-designated as CVN-68 and was named after Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded the US Pacific Fleet during Second World War.  Captain Michael "Nasty" Manazir assumed command of this warship in March this year.

The USS Nimitz has been active in American naval deployments in foreign waters, both during the time of peace and war. It has considerable battle experience during times of conflict in Africa, Persian Gulf as well as East Asia. Its first deployment was in the Mediterranean in July 1976, in company with the cruisers South Carolina and California. It was a quiet affair. So was the case during its second Mediterranean cruise in 1977–1978.

The third one was no longer quiet, as it served as the launch pad for Operation Evening Light. This operation aimed at rescuing the hostages held by the Iranian students in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.  However, it was a failed attempt, since the US helicopters crashed in the Iranian desert. The warship had to return home in May 1980, after spending 144 days at sea.

The following year the Gulf of Sidra incident took place, when the USS Nimitz was engaged in a freedom of navigation exercise in the Gulf of Sidra near Libya. The Libyan Air Force reportedly fired at two aircraft (F-14As) of the Nimitz's VF-41, but the US fighter pilots returned fire and killed two Libyan pilots with no US losses.

In 1985, two Lebanese Shiite Muslim gunmen hijacked TWA Flight 847, carrying 153 passengers and crew, including many Americans. In response, the Nimitz was deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Lebanon. In 1988, it was deployed off the coast of South Korea to provide security during the Olympic Games.

The US warship operated closer to west of India during the Iran-Iraq war, especially at the time of the tanker war in October 1988 in the North Arabian Sea, participating in the Operation Earnest Will. Five years later, it returned to the Persian Gulf to participate in Operation Southern Watch in Iraq. In 1996, during the Taiwan crisis when China fired several missiles through the Taiwan Straits in a threatening gesture, the USS Nimitz was active in the waters, east of India. In mid-April 2003, the warship was back to the Persian Gulf, flying sorties over Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Now it has anchored off the Chennai coast. The USS Nimitz's visit to the Indian Ocean is, however, more than a goodwill visit. It symbolizes the strengthening of Indo-US defence cooperation. It is also intended to participate in a naval exercise with the Indian Navy. The two countries have a come a long way since the days of estrangement during the Cold War. The non-aligned India was not only opposed to the presence of warships of major powers in the Indian Ocean but also was against holding military exercises with foreign powers.

While India continues to maintain that the Non-Aligned Movement continues to be relevant and more recently contested the opinion of the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, New Delhi is no longer averse to port visits by foreign navies. Nor, is it opposed to the presence of foreign warships in the Indian Ocean and has authorized its Navy to conduct exercises with other Naval Powers. Indian ships also go far and away on goodwill visits or even participate in naval exercises in other regions.

Some political parties have expressed their opposition to the presence of the Nimitz in India’s territorial waters. Demonstrations have been staged against it. But Washington understands that it would not affect its bilateral military ties with New Delhi. After all, the UPA Government has allowed such a visit. If at all, the anger of the demonstrators should be ideally targeting the Government decision more than the Nimitz.

It reminds one of the demonstrations against the US-India air exercises near Kolkata. However, the end result of the opposition to the joint air exercises did not prevent the two Air Forces from going ahead with their schedule. Similar will be the outcome of the current demonstrations against the US warship.

There was a time when the US Enterprise entered the Bay of Bengal apparently to warn India against extending the 1971 war with Pakistan to Western Pakistan. It was the Cold War time. President Richard Nixon was anti-India to the core. But the US Enterprise failed to have any major impact on the war. Three years later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered the first nuclear test explosion by Indian scientists and India performed a technology demonstration to inform the world that it had become nuclear capable.

Today, India, the sixth country in the world to go nuclear in 1998, has earned enough confidence to invite the USS Nimitz to anchor off the Chennai coast and conduct exercise with the Indian navy. This indicates India's growing power confidence and not its willingness to be dictated by the US, as has been claimed by some critics.

The rising defence cooperation between India and the US is a positive development. Today, security is not confined to military issues alone. For that matter, the military's role is not just confined to guarding the borders. The military of a nation has a direct and an important bearing on a country's diplomacy and foreign policy, which in turn has an influence over a country's economic activities in the international arena. The Indo-US defence relations will thus have a positive impact on economic and political interactions between the two countries as well. INFA

 (Copyright India News and Feature Alliance)