US Planning Naval Logistics Hubs In India To Challenge China In The Indo-Pacific

The United States and India have entered into a comprehensive defence and economic partnership aimed at transforming India into a key centre for resupplying and maintaining naval vessels in the south Asia region.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the White House in late June, President Joe Biden expressed his commitment to strengthening the US-India major defence partnership, considering it a pillar of global peace and security, as stated in their joint statement.

As part of this partnership, the US will support India in developing the necessary infrastructure for resupply, repair, and maintenance of ships and aircraft.

The goal is to make India a logistics hub for the US and other Indo-Pacific partners. The US Navy is in the process of signing ship repair agreements with Indian shipyards, including Larsen & Toubro near Chennai, and is finalising deals with two other shipbuilders based in Mumbai and Goa.

The US military aims to enhance its readiness for resupply activities and repairs in the Indo-Pacific region, which has been challenging due to limited capabilities.

By having access to more hubs in the region, naval vessels and aircraft will spend less time on operational pauses, allowing for increased joint exercises with partner countries. Presently, Japan and Singapore serve as key naval hubs for the US in Asia.

The initiative has been widely praised, including by Harry Harris, former commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, who emphasised the significance of securing a maintenance, repair, and logistics hub on the Indian subcontinent to enhance flexibility in the vast Indian Ocean region.

The US faces the risk of falling behind China in terms of naval capabilities if American vessels cannot spend more time at sea, given the size of the Chinese navy, as reported by Nikkei Asia.

The Biden administration intends to deepen its partnership with India beyond the Indian Ocean and expand cooperation in the maritime space, including in the South China Sea.

India's expression of support for the 2016 arbitration ruling at The Hague, which rejects Chinese claims in the South China Sea, further aligns India with Japan and other Western countries on this issue.

India, as a representative of emerging and developing countries in the Global South, is gaining a stronger role and voice in the international community. While India has shifted its focus towards closer relations with the West, its fundamental approach to diplomacy remains "strategic autonomy," where it works with other countries based on its own interests.

There have been historical instances of distrust between India and the US, such as the threat of sanctions when India sought air defence systems from Russia and the US sending an aircraft carrier to intimidate India during the Indo-Pakistani War in 1971. Whether the current partnership will dispel this latent distrust remains to be seen.