Navy doctrine covers intelligence, synergy gaps exposed by 26/11

With the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks exposing gaps in intelligence sharing and synergy among maritime forces, the latest Navy's doctrine has laid greater emphasis on these two critical aspects of security.
 
"There are subtle, but notable changes in the 'principles of war' outlined in the revised Maritime Doctrine, released yesterday, with the inclusion of 'synergy' and 'intelligence' as key factors," Navy officials told PTI here today.

The doctrine, first brought out in 2004, lays down its task as an armed force furthering Indian security interests and also provides the fundamentals for readiness and response planning for the Navy.

"The chapter on India's maritime environment and interests has been significantly revamped and expanded to include the geostrategic importance of India's location and the Indian Ocean Region, maritime terrorism, piracy and coastal security," they said.

Outgoing Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta released the 2009 edition of the doctrine that would provide a common understanding of universally applicable maritime concepts not only to the uniformed fraternity, but also to the public at large.

The review of the doctrine, Navy officials said, was necessitated by the ongoing changes in the geostrategic environment, the growing needs of the nation and consequently the navy, evolving operational complexities and transformational changes sweeping the maritime domain.

However, the new edition of the maritime doctrine continues to cover the fundamental framework of the principle practices and procedures that govern the development and employment of the military maritime power, they added.

The chapter on concepts of maritime power was also revamped considerably to reflect the contribution of the government and the people through a maritime attitude and consciousness, and economic factors such as ship building, they said.

"Since doctrines evolve over time, the present edition maintains its temporal relevance, addressing the tenets of contemporary maritime thought, with emphasis on the Indian maritime environment," they said.

An entirely new chapter called Naval Combat Power highlights the ever-changing demands on conceptual, physical and human concepts emerging from rapid transformational changes in technology and consequently tactics, they said.

"The laws governing armed conflict have been covered for a better understanding of the legal aspects covering combat," they said. A conscious effort was made to move forward from the commonalities of maritime thought, as applicable to most sea faring nations, to address specific maritime concepts, concerns and developments applicable to India and the Indian Navy, the officials said.

"This is also reflected in the historical preview provided in the doctrine," Navy officials added. The doctrine focuses on concepts as well as application of maritime power and is the primary document from which other naval doctrines originate.

"Security concepts at the national level from which the maritime doctrine obtains its strength have been explained in greater detail in the revised document," they pointed out.

"With increased emphasis on maritime affairs, the revised doctrine would serve to enhance awareness about India's maritime environment and interests, and provide the fundamentals for readiness and response planning," they said.