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www.telegraphindia.com/1090114/jsp/frontpage/story_10387974.jsp
Navy to scale down anti-piracy mission
SUJAN DUTTA

New Delhi, Jan. 13: The Indian Navy is likely to scale down its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden where it saw action at least thrice in the last two months of 2008.

The INS Mysore, a destroyer and one of the largest and most powerful ships in the navy, is now being called back for operational deployment and exercises in the Arabian Sea and is being replaced by a smaller frigate, likely to be the INS Beas.

The INS Mysore had itself replaced the INS Tabar, one of the frontline frigates, because the navy reasoned that a prolonged deployment called for sending a larger warship that need not have to go to port frequently for replenishments.

But exercises in the Arabian Sea and a rise in threat perceptions since the Mumbai terror attacks are believed to have contributed to the decision to scale down the Indian naval presence in the Gulf of Aden.

Also, India wanted a combined anti-piracy drill off the east coast of Africa and Somalia with a UN mandate that creates a blue force coalition. That has not happened so far.

The INS Beas is still a faster, if smaller, ship, but it is not capable of lengthy deployments in the way that the Delhi-class destroyer (like the INS Mysore) is.

The replacement of the INS Mysore with the INS Beas shows that the Indian Navy has decided to scale down its commitment in the anti-piracy operations with less personnel and equipment engaged in the Gulf of Aden than has been since the middle of November.

The Indian Navy is currently in the middle of a series of exercises in the Arabian Sea. Even ships from its eastern fleet have been deployed on India’s western seaboard. The largest of these exercises, an amphibious drill named Triveni, concluded on Sunday. But over the next two weeks, the Indian Navy will be engaging the French and Russian navies in separate exercises.

The French helicopter carrier, the Jeanne d’Arc, also involved in anti-piracy operations of Somalia, and a frigate, the Georges Leygus, are expected in drills off the west coast from January 26.

A navy officer said the India-French drill — not part of the regular Varuna series of exercises — would be “elementary”. The French are also expected to dock in Goa.

A more complicated exercise, from January 25-31, is scheduled with the Russians. The Russians are deploying a heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser, the Pyotr Veliky, a large anti-submarine warfare frigate, the Admiral Vinogradov, scheduled to replace the frigate Neustrashimy off the coast of Somalia, two tankers and a rescue tug.

The Indian Navy will deploy a destroyer and two frigates apart from a kilo-class (Russian-origin) submarine.