Vice Admiral K Swaminathan, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, on Wednesday flagged Pakistan’s recent arms procurement and China’s expanding naval presence as key strategic concerns for India.
He was speaking at a security conference organised in Mumbai by the Bramha Research Foundation.
China’s naval expansion and presence in the IOR
The Vice Admiral said China’s rapid naval growth has altered the maritime balance, noting that the Chinese fleet had added platforms equivalent to the entire size of the Indian Navy in the last decade. He called attention to the commissioning of the Fujian, its third aircraft carrier, and the country’s display of advanced fifth- and sixth-generation fighter aircraft.
He said China’s deployments in the Indian Ocean Region remain steady.
“China, also worryingly for us, continues to maintain five to eight ships in the Indian Ocean Region,” he said, referring to a mix of warships, research vessels, satellite-tracking vessels and fishing crafts.
“China is not only becoming more assertive in the South China Sea but also in the Indian Ocean Region. Therefore, China will continue to be an enduring challenge,” he observed.
Operation Sindoor and shifting dynamics with Pakistan
Vice Admiral Swaminathan said Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April, has marked a significant shift in India’s approach towards Pakistan. The operation, he said, struck targets in Pakistan and PoK and later also hit multiple air bases.
“It is a very significant departure from how we view Pakistan and the response that Pakistan brings about in whatever happens in the subcontinent,” he said.
He noted that Pakistan’s behaviour in the aftermath of the operation is a fresh concern.
“Pakistan, of course, after the end of the operation, has been on an exercise to arm itself like never before. So that again should be a matter of concern for all of us in the subcontinent,” he said.
“The Pakistani Army is shopping all around the world for arms and ammunition with very scant regard to what else is happening in that country,” he added.
Pakistan–China coordination and Turkey’s role
The Vice Admiral said Operation Sindoor revealed overt coordination between Pakistan and China.
“One, of course, was the collusion between Pakistan and China that we always knew manifested. We somehow thought that might be covert, but somewhat over a little bit. But it was undeniably overt in very clear broad daylight,” he said.
He also referred to Turkey’s involvement in Pakistan’s military preparedness as an unexpected element.
“This was something we had always suspected and knew. The fact that it manifested a little more than we thought, in a way, was a new opener,” he said.
China and Turkey had openly backed Pakistan during the operation.
Indian forces displayed high coordination during Operation Sindoor
Vice Admiral Swaminathan said the four-day campaign showcased coordinated planning and execution by India’s armed forces and demonstrated the country’s multi-domain capability.
He said the success of the strikes challenged regional assumptions about Pakistan’s deterrence strategy, asserting that the operation reflected the capability to conduct synchronised, well-executed military actions.
Air Marshal Sinha: A message of a ‘new normal’
Air Marshal Rakesh Sinha, Deputy Chief at the Integrated Defence Staff (Operations), said during a panel discussion at the event that all three services displayed full synergy during Operation Sindoor.
He said the Air Force demonstrated strategic reach and precision, and that it was the joint planning that caught Pakistan off guard.
“India (with Operation Sindoor) has given a message of a new normal — that if the enemy indulges in action that causes trouble to India, then it will give a decisive response at the time and place of its choosing, and no nuclear blackmail will be accepted,” he said.
Sinha said all domains were used in the operation and highlighted the role of drones enabled by India’s Airborne Warning and Control System.