Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: In response to Pakistan Field Marshal Asim Munir warning India against any “future misadventure”, Indian Navy chief-designate Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan has said that “misadventure does not come anywhere or anytime from India” and asserted that the country is ready to counter and quell any “misadventure” from across the border.Vice Admiral Swaminathan, who will take over reins of Navy after Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi’s retirement on May 31, said, “…India has always been in a responding kind of mode. Such actions (misadventures) come from across the border. People can say what they want, but as far as we are concerned, India will remain prepared.”At a defence event organised by Bramha Research Foundation in Mumbai on Monday, the Vice Admiral highlighted that the country has been a victim of terrorism for years, and that Operation Sindoor was targeted specifically at terror camps and terrorists involved in Pahalgam terror attack. The country cannot accept terrorist activities, especially when they emanate from foreign soil, he said, pointing out that Operation Sindoor is continuing.In the current global situation, the Vice Admiral said the global security environment is undergoing profound changes. Outlining that nearly 95% of India’s trade by volume and roughly 70% by value continues to transit on the seas, he said that India’s competitiveness depends on safe lanes. “The Indian Ocean is, and has always been, India’s arena. Today, the Indo-Pacific has emerged as a defining theatre of 21st-century geopolitics. The Indian Ocean is becoming even more contested, more watched and more consequential. The Indian Navy is the guardian of this domain,” he said.On defence opportunities for MSMEs, he said, “I just think that it takes some time for MSMEs to find the momentum. Producing defence-grade equipment in any country is not something that you do fast; you’ve got to do it slowly, methodically… (Our) specifications are very stringent. You don’t get anything off the shelf. Everything needs to be made from an idea. And, therefore, most industries in the world do take some time for technologies to mature.”
