India Grows its Hedge
Last Friday, the Indian Navy inducted a new platform into its fighter fleet: the Russian-made MiG-29K. The advanced aircraft, of which India is eventually expected to have 45, are intended for deployment on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (formerly the Admiral Gorshkov, soon to be acquired from Russia). This “quantum leap” in the Indian Navy’s capabilities, as it was described by Defense Minister A.K. Antony, can be interpreted in part as a further manifestation of India’s emerging hedging strategy toward its northeastern neighbor.
In the past few months, India has taken a series of steps to enhance its power projection capabilities and otherwise adjust its regional posture so as to check Chinese military ambitions — expanding air force bases in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, developing high-altitude airstrips near disputed border regions, holding yet another successful test of the Agni III long-range nuclear-capable missile, and announcing planned tests of the Agni V (a missile capable of hitting even the most distant targets in China) later this year. Most notably, Chief of the Indian Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor outlined in December the contours of a new “two-front war” doctrine, whereby India’s armed forces would be trained, equipped, and positioned for simultaneous conflicts with Pakistan and China.
All along the way, Indian military officials have been fairly candid about the purpose of these steps: to deter Chinese aggression and hedge against the country’s growing military prowess. As India’s 2008-2009 defense White Paper makes clear, “India will engage China to seek greater transparency in its defense policy and posture, while taking all necessary measures to protect the national security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of India.” As of late, with border disputes flaring and China’s “string of pearls” strategy proceeding apace, it’s no wonder that the implementation of “all necessary measures” appears to be taking precedence over engagement.
Tim Sullivan is a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
