Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan said threat from the sea is a "real challenge".
Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan has said that terror threat from the sea is a "real challenge", adding that India is "fully prepared" to tackle a situation.
"It is a very, very serious situation which we have taken serious note of," Admiral Dhowan said at a press conference on Friday in response to a question over the attempted hijacking of Pakistani ship PNS Zulfiqar. According to reports, Al Qaeda militants tried to hijack the Pakistan Navy frigate earlier this month and in order to use it to target US Navy vessels on anti-terrorism patrol in the northwestern Indian Ocean.
"Terror threat is a real challenge," the Navy Chief said, adding, "challenges have gone up, there are pirates, floating armouries". But the Navy, he said, was fully prepared for any operation.
Commenting on the increased presence of Chinese warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean, the Navy Chief said that Chinese activity had gone up "exponentially" in the region.
"China has been deploying nuclear submarines. India is concerned. But India cannot do much as these are international waters," Admiral Dhowan said in an interview to NDTV.
He said the Indian Navy needs to be dominant in the region even though its fleet is inadequate.
"We have to protect our interest. Lack of submarines and helicopters is a concern but we have to fight with what we have," Admiral Dhowan said.
In moves that reflect China's determination to make its presence felt in the Indian Ocean, its submarines have shown up in Sri Lanka, the island nation off India's southern coast. China has also strengthened ties with the Maldives, the Indian Ocean archipelago.
With further concerns in the region over Beijing's aggressive stance in the disputed South China Sea, India is speeding up its navy modernisation programme.
The need to modernize and improve India's fleet was reinforced by recent submarine accidents.
Admiral Dhowan called the accidents a combination of human error - linked to violation of standard operating procedure - maintenance and material failure.
"The accidents were a culmination of all three or at least one of them," he said.