India is the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and this pointed its ability to play an effective strategic role in the region and need to expand its operational reach, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on Tuesday as the Navy formally commissioned its second squadron of P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft, ‘Condors’, at INS Hansa in Goa.
The Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 316, will operate four P-8I aircraft procured as part of the optional clause in 2016 in a deal worth over $1 bn, deliveries of which were completed recently by Boeing. The Defence Ministry has already approved a proposal for procurement of six more P-8Is but that is now under review as part of an overall review of all imports.
“In today’s dynamic and complex security situation, the squadron’s operational capabilities will significantly enhance our ability to protect, preserve and promote India’s maritime interests,” Admiral Kumar said at the commissioning ceremony. “The rapidity and flexibility with which the P-8Is have responded to various contingencies in the region reflect our resolve to be the ‘First Responder’ and the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ in the region, guided by India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” he noted.
