Indian Navy Chief Sunil Lanba Hails Balakot Air Strikes; Exudes Confidence on Navy’s Heft in The Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba on Monday (27 May 2019) hailed the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Balakot air strikes carried out on 26 February inside the territory of Pakistan, reports Times of India.

Exhorting the strikes, Admiral Lanba underscored that the strikes had constituted a paradigm shift which will compel Pakistan to change its behaviour on fuelling cross-border terrorism.

"India's pro-active action has changed the discourse and dialogue viz-a-viz Pakistan. A new norm has been established. I am quite sure it will lead to behavioural changes in our adversary," said Admiral Lanba.

Further talking about the growing presence and heft of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean region, Admiral Lanba exuded confidence of the Indian navy's dominance in its strategic backyard. He said, "We have adequate force-levels at present to look after our maritime interests."

The Indian Navy presently has 140 warships and 220 aircraft along with 49 warships under construction at various domestic shipyards and two frigates in Russia. The Navy also aspires to become a 212-warship and 458-aircraft force by around 2030, backed with 18 diesel-electric submarines, six nuclear powered attack submarines, and four nuclear powered submarines with nuclear ballistic missiles.