Rise of the Indian Navy

Harsh V. Pant, King's College London, UK

• Contents: Preface; Introduction, Harsh V. Pant; Part I Internal Dimensions: Drivers of Indian naval expansion, Walter C. Ladwig III; The navy as an instrument of foreign policy: the Indian experience, C. Uday Bhaskar; India’s aspirational naval doctrine, Iskander Rehman; Technology and the Indian navy, K. Raja Menon. Part II External Dynamic: Sea dragon at the doorstep: PLA(N) modernization and the Indian navy, Probal Ghosh; India in the Indian Ocean: a mismatch between ambitions and capabilities?, Harsh V. Pant; The US-India naval cooperation: moving beyond rhetoric, James R. Holmes; Non-state threats to India’s maritime security: sailing deeper into an era of violent peace, Nitin Pai; Index.

’Given the sharp shift of strategic focus; from the Pacific and Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, this stimulating anthology constitutes a timely endeavour by Harsh V. Pant to provide an insight into India’s enigmatic maritime rise. Nine thoughtful chapters provide a kaleidoscopic and objective view, through Indian and foreign eyes, of the rationale underpinning India’s aspirations for a capable 21st century blue-water navy.’ Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd) ’An essential guide to an important subject, recommended for generalists and specialists alike. While China and its navy have received much attention in recent years, outside of India the transformation of the Indian navy has gone mostly unnoticed. This volume fulfils a vital role in grounding the reader in the historical, material and cultural context of the Indian navy, and Indian maritime thought by leading Indian and Western authors.’ Patrick Bratton, Hawai`i Pacific University, USA 'The Rise of the Indian Navy is a collection of essays by experts based in India, the United Kingdom and the United States which assesses the remarkable development of Indian naval capabilities in recent years... it is a valuable and well-produced contribution to a subject which is not well understood in the West, or even within India.' International Journal of Maritime History