The United States Fifth Fleet’s area of operation is the Indian Ocean and the American order of Battle changes to fit threats, support needs and the general political climate. India objects to United States Naval vessels that transit “its” ocean and they are taking steps to expand their footprint in the Indian Ocean.
Today, India’s indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant (trans. slayer of enemies), is almost ready to commence its first sea trials, four years after it was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at Visakhapatnam in 2009. The 6,000-ton submarine has completed its harbor trials. Its nuclear reactor is ready to go critical.
This submarine will be armed with K-4 and K-15 submarine-launched nuclear-capable ballistic missiles (SLBM), which are still under development. It will be India’s second nuclear-powered submarine, joining the nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine, INS Chakra, leased from Russia. India reportedly is interested in leasing a second Akula-class hunter-killer submarine.
The Indian Navy is the cutting edge of its assertion of strategic dominance in the Indian Ocean region against China. There is a grudge match to be fought between India and China over the Chinese invasion of India in 1962. Neither side is ready for that contest, but both know it is coming and are preparing for it.
The US? No, not so much. While India views the pseudo Muslim President Obama as a potential threat, the American alliance with Pakistan has been more linked with an association of convenience than it has with a direct threat to the Indian heartland.
Suffice to say they are 'stepping up' the rhetoric too…
If only one nation, of all the nations, will declare war on us – please, let it be India. For one thing, there are no sit-ins on the ocean.
It might mean an end to slurpies at the 7/11.
Yes, and to lend them some credit, they're trying to back up the chatter with firepower.
The Indians are really smart people. They sent all their twits over here to open gas stations and lousy motels.
I don't see India as a threat to the US. They are WAY more tolerant of differences than the muslim Pakistanis.
They became allied with the Russians back when we picked the Pakistanis. China and Pakistan fight up in the Hindu Kush every summer over disputed territory. They each lose about 200 people and then call it a fighting season when the snow comes again. It's almost tradition.
I wonder if when they call 1-800 numbers, they get people in Arkansas? I would hate to be in that airtight adventure for too long…to much curry….
Submarines take on the smells of their crews, combined with the odor of solvents, machine oil, etc.
Asking what the inside of that submarine would smell like is asking what it smelled like in the bottom of Noah's ark after 40 days and 40 nights buttoned up with all of the animals on the planet — with each eating and sweating curry.
dont talk like an ignorant bufoon
yeah , 40 percent of the scientists at NASA are Indians too.. go figure you day care drop out
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