Strategic significance making extra-regional forces foray into Andamans: Top army commander

Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana said the Andaman and Nicobar Command is shifting from being a remote outpost to a strategic hub, with round-the-clock surveillance as “extra-regional forces” eye the resource-rich ridges and crucial sea lanes around the islands.

Port Blair: Lt General Dinesh Singh Rana, the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), has said that various “extra-regional forces” are making a foray into the archipelago, realising its strategic significance.

He also emphasised the need for round-the-clock surveillance of the islands to thwart any conventional or non-conventional threat, including terrorism.

In an interaction with PTI, the CINCAN said the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is moving ahead from being a mere island outpost to a strategic hub, and that all grey hulls or military vessels are being monitored as and when required.

There are many research vessels, which have been maintaining a persistent presence around the “90-degree and 85-degree ridges” close to the Andamans, he said.

“The ridges are not only rich in poly-metallic nodules, but a lot of underwater sea cables from the Indian Ocean region also pass through these, connecting South East Asian countries,” he said.

Highlighting the military importance of the ridges, he said “these are areas suitable for deploying underwater surveillance sensors and submarines, and hence, there is a need for enhanced underwater domain awareness”.

On Andaman and Nicobar Islands strategic significance, the CINCAN said that the government has announced many projects of national importance in the region, including the Great Nicobar Galathea Project.

“It's essential that the military capabilities also need to be aligned and commensurate with the national focus, which is happening at present,” he said.

The 836 islands and islets of the archipelago, spread around 750 km north to south, effectively dominate the Malacca Strait and “the 6-degree channel through which 30 per cent of the world trade passes”, Rana said.

The ANC is responsible for coastal security, including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and the command plays an important role in warding off critical non-conventional threats in the region, which includes the movement of illegal immigrants, poachers and drug peddlers, he said.

“There is a potential of our neighbours exploiting the unstable countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar at present, and creating some kind of conventional and non-conventional threat for us here, including terrorism. Therefore, there is an increased focus on round-the-clock surveillance through our ships, air assets and other technological means,” he added.

The ANC, based at Sri Vijaya Puram, is India’s first and only joint services operational command, integrating the army, navy, air force and the Coast Guard.