Rather than seek a cooperative mechanism to ensure the safety of its commercial shipping, India has been at odds with major navies operating in the Indian Ocean and has sometimes even found itself in a corner. During the 2006 Lebanon evacuation, Indian naval ships were low on fuel on the high seas; but the US Fifth Fleet refused to replenish the tanker Shakti as India did not have a logistics support agreement with the US.

Although the Indo-US framework for maritime security cooperation was signed during George W. Bush’s March 2006 visit, India has not been able to conclude the logistics support agreement with the US due to pressure from the Left parties. The bilateral framework includes comprehensive measures to address questions of security for sea-going commerce. When Antony visited Washington last September, Defence Secretary Robert Gates asked him what prevented New Delhi from signing the agreement. Antony said it would be signed soon, but there has been no forward movement on it to date, mostly due to its political sensitivity.

Given that global threats from non-state players are multiplying, New Delhi should give up its lone ranger attitude and tie up bilaterally or multilaterally with big naval powers to tackle piracy on the high seas. If India is still coy about tying up with the US Fifth Fleet in Aden or its Seventh Fleet in Malacca, it can utilise the High Committee on Defence meeting in Paris this month to tie up with the French navy. Otherwise, the only, tedious, option for the navy is to go back to Oman under its operational turnaround agreement for refuelling after each long-range patrol in the area. With India aspiring to notch up five per cent of global trade by 2020 from the present 1.2 per cent, it would be in its interests not only to build up the navy’s capacity to exercise its influence but also to explore cooperative mechanisms to ensure a free flow of goods.

... contd.