In Washington, the remarkable salvation of a merchant vessel from marauders off the coast of Somalia by the Indian Navy showcases India’s military prowess akin to some of the globe’s foremost, as per analysts from the West.
“The triumph of the endeavor designates the Indian Navy as a top-tier force in terms of education, direction, and other proficiencies,” CNN cited John Bradford, an International Affairs scholar from the Council on Foreign Relations, as expressing. What distinguishes this feat is the manner in which danger was mitigated through the orchestrated deployment of a flotilla comprising a warship, unmanned aerial vehicles, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and naval commandos, Bradford remarked.
Employing the INS Kolkata warship, enduring Sea Guardian drones, P-8I reconnaissance planes, and airdropped elite MARCOS commandos from a C-17 aircraft, the Navy executed the rescue operation for the Bulgarian-owned vessel. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin conveyed his gratitude to Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday for the Indian Navy’s involvement in conducting counter-piracy maneuvers in the Indian Ocean Region.
Concerns loom over the precarious security state in the Red Sea, given assaults by Yemen-based Houthi insurgents on merchant vessels, which could potentially divert international resources and create an opportunity for Somali pirates in the nearby Horn of Africa, posing a multi-billion-dollar peril to the global economy.
The seizure of the MV Ruen by Somali pirates in December of the prior year marked the first successful hijacking of a vessel off the tumultuous country’s coastline since 2017. The Indian Navy disclosed that the ship, hijacked on December 14th of the preceding year, had set sail as a pirate vessel, with intentions to engage in piracy on the high seas.
However, when the Ruen, now under pirate control, departed Somali waters last week with intentions of piracy on the high seas, the Indian Navy initiated actions to intercept it, as stated in a navy communiqué posted on the social platform X. Analyst Carl Schuster, a former captain in the US Navy, remarked that the incident underscored the professionalism of the Indian Navy and commended India’s naval commando unit, known as MARCOS, for drawing insights from their US and British counterparts.
Schuster emphasized that the Indian Navy itself is a highly trained and disciplined professional entity. He noted that MARCOS’ arduous training regimen, spanning nearly eight months, is fashioned after Britain’s Special Air Service. Despite a rigorous selection process, only a fraction, roughly 10% to 15%, of candidates successfully complete the training, he added.
The analysts observed that the Indian Navy boasts extensive experience in counter-piracy operations, spanning over two decades, and given the tumultuous security environment in one of the world’s primary maritime routes, it is likely to be called upon again. “The formidable display of Indian might proved overwhelming for the pirates,” remarked CNN. The news outlet also highlighted Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s expression of gratitude to India for rescuing the hijacked vessel and its crew.
